cist

[ sist ]

/ sɪst /

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noun Classical Antiquity.

a box or chest, especially for sacred utensils.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of cist

1795–1805; <Latin cista<Greek kístēchest

Words nearby cist

cissexual, cissing, cissoid, cissus, Cissy, cist, cistaceous, Cistercian, cistern, cisterna, cistern barometer

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. 2023

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