'agonothete' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'ἀγωνοθέτης', where 'ἀγών' meant 'contest' and 'θέτης' meant 'one who sets or arranges'.

'ἀγωνοθέτης' transformed into the Latin word 'agonotheta', and eventually became the modern English word 'agonothete'.

Initially, it meant 'one who arranges contests', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.