desist

Where does the word "desist" come from? It comes from Latin sistere, passing through Latin before entering English (1400s).

Desist’s story begins in Latin: sistere meant “to stand, to place.” To stand, to place, combined with de- (away from). Within Latin, it grew into desistere by ancient. To stand away from, to stop, from de- and sistere. It reached English by 1400s as desist. Settled as the English word for stopping an action, especially one that is unwanted. Today, desist means to stop doing something, especially an action that is unwanted or harmful.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient sistere "to stand, to place", to stand, to place, combined with de- (away from).
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient desistere "to stand away from, to stop", to stand away from, to stop, from de- and sistere.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1400s desist "to stop doing something, especially an unwanted action", settled as the English word for stopping an action, especially one that is unwanted.