agenda, agendas

Agenda was originally the plural form of agendum, a Latin word meaning “something that needs to be done.” Hence, the plural agenda represented a list of items that needed to be dealt with.

However, agenda is now considered a singular noun in English and takes a singular verb. It can mean a list of items for discussion at a meeting, a plan of action, or a book in which to organize work and appointments:

  • The agenda for the meeting is attached to the email.
  • Your vacation agenda sounds very exciting!
  • This electronic agenda is much easier to use than previous versions.

The plural is agendas:

  • We have ordered new agendas for the coming calendar year.

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