Where does “desist” come from?
Desist comes from Middle French desister, from Latin desistere, formed from the prefix de- and the root steh₂- meaning "to stand," originally signifying "to cease standing" or "to stop."
desist (English): To cease to proceed or act; to stop
Definitions
- To cease to proceed or act; to stop
Ancestry of “desist”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | desister | to stop; to desist |
| 2 | Latin | desistere | present active infinitive of dēsistō |
| 3 | Latin | desisto | I stand apart; I cease, desist |
| 4 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 5 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 6 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 7 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |