agion.

Etymology: < (i) French agio (1679) or its etymon (ii) Italian aggio difference between nominal and real value, interest (a1337; also (rare) †agio (1801 or earlier)), probably ultimately < Byzantine Greek ἀλλάγιον exchange ( < ancient Greek ἀλλαγή change, alteration (see allagite n.) + -ιον , suffix forming nouns). In sense 2, which is not paralleled in Italian, probably after the specific sense development ‘dishonest speculation, agiotage’ of French agio (1710; now rare).The unstressed first syllable of the Greek word was probably lost in Italian, and the word subsequently underwent metanalysis, its initial l- being apprehended as the definite masculine article. This is supported by post-classical Latin forms in Italian sources, e.g. lazum (1276), lazo (1366), laggio (1404); compare also Italian regional (Veneto) lazo , (Abruzze) lajjë , although the latter form occurs in a text which contains many examples of agglutination of the definite article, and hence may not reflect an earlier form with initial l- . See further F. Rainer, ‘Español agio: ¿galicismo o italianismo?’, in Revista de filología española 85 (2005) 113–31, with a detailed summary of the various etymologies proposed for the Italian word. The Italian word was also borrowed into other Germanic languages, of which the early modern periods of both German and Dutch show forms both with and without an initial l- . Compare Dutch agio (1643; 1565 as †aigeo , †augeo ; also †lazo (1643), †lagio (1660), †aggio (1676)), German Agio (1669; 1610 as †laso ; also †aggio (1635), †lagio (1654), †lazo (1657)). Among the forms with initial l- in these languages, some show borrowing < northern dialects of Italian, others probably borrowing < Tuscan forms with preceding definite article. An alternative etymological suggestion viewed the Italian word as an extended use of agio ease, convenience (last quarter of the 12th cent. as †asio ; < either Old Occitan aize or French aise : for both, see ease n.). This hypothesis presents phonological problems and is therefore rejected by the most recent etymological dictionaries of Italian. N.E.D. (1884) also gives the pronunciation (ēⁱ·dʒiˌo) /ˈeɪdʒɪəʊ/, which also occurs in some other dictionaries in the 19th and first half of the 20th cent. A form with elision of the middle syllable also occurs.