gist

[ jist ]
/ dʒɪst /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR gist ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the main or essential part of a matter: What was the gist of his speech?
the ground of a legal action.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON THESE WORDS FROM BROWN GIRL DREAMING!

Visualize yourself passing this quiz on words from Jacqueline Woodson’s exquisite verse novel “Brown Girl Dreaming,” and then take the quiz to prove you can do it! (Because you can.)
Question 1 of 10
What does “barren” mean?
a cylindrical wooden container with slightly bulging sides.
Worn down by dullness, tedious repetition.
unproductive; unfruitful
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Origin of gist

1720–30; <Anglo-French (cest action) gist (this matter) lies, 3rd singular present indicative of Anglo-French, Old French gesir to lie ≪ Latin jacēre

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH gist

gist , jest, just.

Words nearby gist

Giscard d'Estaing, Giselle, GI series, Gish, Gissing, gist, git, gitalin, gite, git-go, gitim
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to gist

upshot, tenor, summary, kernel, force, point, idea, topic, sense, subject, bearing, pith, theme, score, significance, import, core, keynote, drift, short

Example sentences from the Web for gist

British Dictionary definitions for gist

gist
/ (dʒɪst) /

noun

the point or substance of an argument, speech, etc
law the essential point of an action

Word Origin for gist

C18: from Anglo-French, as in cest action gist en this action consists in, literally: lies in, from Old French gésir to lie, from Latin jacēre, from jacere to throw
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