in ancient poetry, a designation given to the muses, from a fountain of mount Helicon called Aganippe.

AGAPÆ, or AGAPES, in church-history, certain love-feasts kept by the ancient Christians, as a token of brotherly charity and mutual benevolence.

However innocent the original intention of these festivals might have been, abuses in time got footing in them, and gave great occasion to scandal; so that it became necessary to forbid the acts of charity between different sexes, as well as to have any beds or couches in the place where they assembled.

AGAPETÆ, in church-history, a kind of nuns among the primitive Christians, who attended on and served the clergy.

At first there was nothing scandalous in those societies, though they gave great offence afterwards, and were wholly abolished by the council of Lateran, in 1139.