Definitions for: Gist


[n] the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience; "the gist of the prosecutor's argument"; "the heart and soul of the Republican Party"; "the nub of the story"
[n] the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work



Webster (1913) Definition: Gist, n. [OF. giste abode, lodgings, F. g[^i]te, fr.
g['e]sir to lie, L. jac?re, prop., to be thrown, hence, to
lie, fr. jac?re to throw. In the second sense fr. OF. gist,
F. g[^i]t, 3d pers. sing. ind. of g['e]sir to lie, used in a
proverb, F., c'est l[`a] que g[^i]t le li[`e]vre, it is there
that the hare lies, i. e., that is the point, the difficulty.
See Jet a shooting forth, and cf. Agist, Joist, n.,
Gest a stage in traveling.]
1. A resting place. [Obs.]

These quails have their set gists; to wit, ordinary
resting and baiting places. --Holland.

2. The main point, as of a question; the point on which an
action rests; the pith of a matter; as, the gist of a
question.

Synonyms: burden, center, core, core, effect, essence, essence, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, kernel, marrow, meat, nitty-gritty, nub, pith, substance, sum

See Also: cognitive content, content, haecceity, hypostasis, import, meaning, mental object, quiddity, quintessence, significance, signification, stuff

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