gist

[jist]

SEE MORE 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.

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

Can be confusedgist jest just

Synonyms for gist

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gist ON THESAURUS.COM

1. essence, point, substance, burden, kernel, import.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for gist

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

Examples from the Web for gist

Contemporary Examples of gist

Mrs. Kennedy, interpreting the gist of the exchange, signaled to White that Camelot must be kept in the text.
How Jackie Kennedy Invented the Camelot Legend After JFK’s Death
James Piereson
November 12, 2013
One niece of a victim wrote her a letter, the gist of which was, “Lois Robison, shut up,” she said.
Wisconsin Spa Shooting Brings Back Painful Memories for the Moms of Mass Killers
Winston Ross
October 25, 2012
But, in short, the gist of this argument is: Afghanistan's a loser.
Don’t Abandon Afghanistan!
June 9, 2011

Historical Examples of gist

Now, Smith, you've given me the gist of the matter, haven't you?
The Cavalier
George Washington Cable
I don't know that I could repeat it word for word, but I could certainly give the gist of it.
Jennie Baxter, Journalist
Robert Barr
I want to have the gist of them before the London Syndicate sees them.
A Woman Intervenes
Robert Barr
That has been the gist of Axelson's repeated communications.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, August 1930
Various
And this was the gist of most of the expressed sentiments which came to him.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete
Albert Bigelow Paine

British Dictionary definitions for gist

gist

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

Word Origin and History for gist

1711, "the real point" (of a law case, etc.), from Anglo-French legalese phrases, e.g. cest action gist "this action lies," meaning "this case is sustainable by law," from Old French gist en "it consists in, it lies in" (third person singular present indicative of gésir "to lie"), from Latin iacet "it lies," from iacere "to lie, rest," related to iacere "to throw" (see jet (v.)). Extended sense of "essence" first recorded 1823.