cist

[ sist ]

/ sɪst /

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noun Classical Antiquity.

a box or chest, especially for sacred utensils.

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Origin of cist

1795–1805; <Latin cista<Greek kístēchest

Words nearby cist

cissexual, cissing, cissoid, cissus, Cissy, cist, cistaceous, Cistercian, cistern, cisterna, cisternal puncture

Other definitions for cist (2 of 2)

cist²

[ sist, kist ]

/ sɪst, kɪst /

noun

a prehistoric sepulchral tomb or casket.

Also kist

[kist] /kɪst/ .

Origin of cist

1795–1805; <Welsh <Latin cista. See cist¹

OTHER WORDS FROM cist

cisted, adjectivecistic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use cist in a sentence

In it were two burials, the first in a pottery cist placed in one corner of the well at 1·5 metres from the surface.
El Kab|J.E. Quibell
Below this cist lay another body in a wooden box painted white.
El Kab|J.E. Quibell
In the filling were fragments of Old Kingdom pottery, of a broken pottery cist, and of the rude pottery bars.
El Kab|J.E. Quibell
In one instance the cist was found between walls and beneath a roof of sandstone blocks.
El Kab|J.E. Quibell

A complete skeleton in a stone cist is now lying in a glass case in the museum.
The Evolution Of An English Town|Gordon Home

British Dictionary definitions for cist (1 of 2)

cist¹

/ (sɪst) /

noun

a wooden box for holding ritual objects used in ancient Rome and Greece

Word Origin for cist

C19: from Latin cista box, chest, basket, from Greek kistē

British Dictionary definitions for cist (2 of 2)

cist²

kist

/ (sɪst) /

noun

archaeol a box-shaped burial chamber made from stone slabs or a hollowed tree trunk

Word Origin for cist

C19: from Welsh: chest, from Latin cista box; see cist 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012