gist

See also gişt

English

Etymology

From Old French gist, from the verb gesir (“to lie down”), from Latin iaceō. Compare Modern French gésir or gîte (“lodging”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /dʒɪst/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪst

Noun

gist (plural gists)

1. The most essential part; the main idea or substance (of a longer or more complicated matter).
   • 1948, Carl Sandburg, Remembrance Rock, page 103,

     "Should they live and build their church in the American wilderness, their worst dangers would rise in and among themselves rather than outside. That was the gist of the lesson from their pastor and "wellwiller" John Robinson."

   • 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter XIX:

     He was handing her something in an envelope, and she was saying “Oh, Jeeves, you've saved a human life,” and he was saying “Not at all, miss.” The gist, of course, escaped me, but I had no leisure to probe into gists.

   • 1996, Nicky Silver, Etiquette and Vitriol, Theatre Communications Group 1996, p. 10:

     I was really just vomiting images like spoiled sushi (that may be an ill-considered metaphor, but you get my gist).

   • 2003, David McDuff, translating Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment, Penguin 2003 p. 183:

     I don't remember his exact words, but the gist of it was that he wanted it all for nothing, as quickly as possible, without any effort.

2. (law, dated) The essential ground for action in a suit, without which there is no cause of action.
3. (obsolete) Resting place (especially of animals), lodging.
   • 1601, Philemon Holland's translation of Pliny's Natural History, 1st ed., book X, chapter XXIII “Of Swallowes, Ousles, or Merles, Thrushes, Stares or Sterlings, Turtles, and Stockdoves.”, p. 282:

     These Quailes have their set gists, to wit, ordinarie resting and baiting places. [These quails have their set gists, to wit, ordinary resting and baiting places.]

Translations

the most essential part

Dutch: essentie (nl),kerngedachte (nl) Finnish: ydin (fi) French: essentiel (fr) m. Georgian: არსი (ka) Greek: ουσία (el) (ousía) f., κεντρική ιδέα (el) (kentrikí idéa) f.

Icelandic: aðalatriði (is) n., kjarni (is) m. Italian: essenza (it) f., sostanza (it) Russian: суть (ru) f., смысл (ru) n. Spanish: esencia (es) Turkish: özet (tr)

resting place

French: gîte (fr) m.

Anagrams

• gits
• stig

References

• “gist” in An American Dictionary of the English Language, by Noah Webster, 1828.
• “gist” in Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed, 1856.
• gist in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

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Dutch

Wikipedia ^nl

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɪst

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch ghest, ghist, from Old Dutch *gest, *gist, from Proto-Germanic *jestuz.

Noun

gist m. (plural gisten)

1. yeast

Derived terms

• gisten

Verb

gist

1. first-, second- and third-person singular present indicative of gisten.
2. imperative of gisten.

Etymology 2

Verb

gist

1. second- and third-person singular present indicative of gissen.
2. plural imperative of gissen.

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Old French

Verb

gist

1. Third-person singular present indicative of gesir

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Romansch

Etymology

From Latin iūstus.

Adjective

gist m. (f. gista, m. pl. gists, f. pl. gistas)

1. right