Dictionary / persist
persist
- verb
- from Middle French
To go on stubbornly or resolutely.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “persist” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
verb
- intransitiveTo go on stubbornly or resolutely.
- intransitiveTo repeat an utterance.
- intransitiveTo continue to exist.
Much of this prejudice, indeed, persists; for instance, in the heavy handicappings with which insurance companies saddle their West Indian policies, […]1868, The British and Foreign Medico-chirurgical Review, page 238:
- transitiveTo cause to persist; make permanent.
This would not be saved after his session terminates because we don't have an actual user identity to allow us to persist the settings.2006, Marco Bellinaso, ASP.NET 2.0 Website Programming:
Older & obsolete senses (1)
- copulativeintransitiveobsoleteTo continue to be; to remain.
Cross-check: WordNet senses (3)
- verbcontinue to exist — also: prevail, die hard, run, endure
- verbbe persistent, refuse to stop — also: persevere, hang in, hang on, hold on
- verbstay behind — also: remain, stay
Synonyms: persevere, last, remain, abide, aby, astand, endure, go on, lie, prevail, hold on, live
Antonyms: break, fail, yield
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)persist
- Middle Frenchpersister (Modern French persister)
- Latinpersistere
- Latinper- + sistere “to stand”
From Middle French persister (Modern French persister), from Latin persistere, from per- + sistere (“to stand”).
Derivatives — words built from “persist”
Phrases & compounds
Related terms
Want to go deeper? See also “persist” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “persist” came from before it was English.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
persist v. i. [L. persistere; per + sistere to stand or be fixed, fr. stare to stand: cf. F. persister. See Per-, and Stand.]
- To stand firm; to be fixed and unmoved; to stay; to continue steadfastly; especially, to continue fixed in a course of conduct against opposing motives; to persevere; -- sometimes conveying an unfavorable notion, as of doggedness or obstinacy.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
verbMeaning: To continue to exist.
Much of this prejudice, indeed, persists; for instance, in the heavy handicappings with which insurance companies saddle their West Indian policies, […]1868, The British and Foreign Medico-chirurgical Review, page 238:
Throughout the period, toothy giants persisted in the oceans. Perhaps the most spectacular was the megalodon shark.2018, Tim Flannery, Europe: A Natural History, page 139:
verbMeaning: To cause to persist; make permanent.
This would not be saved after his session terminates because we don't have an actual user identity to allow us to persist the settings.2006, Marco Bellinaso, ASP.NET 2.0 Website Programming:
While hashtags aren't formally part of Twitter, some clients, such as Tweetdeck, will persist hashtags across replies to create a sort of message threading.2009, Alistair Croll, Sean Power, Complete Web Monitoring:
verbMeaning: be persistent, refuse to stop
he persisted to call me every night
The child persisted and kept asking questions
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
persist
/pɚˈsɪst/ · per·sist
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
persist
/pɚˈsɪst/ · per·sist · verb
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “persist” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “persist” and what each means:
Step 4 — Original meaning
Read the etymology on the page. What does it tell you about the word’s earlier meaning?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 5 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — persist
Origin: C. Middle French (Middle French persister)
Journey: English persist ← Middle French persister ← Latin persistere ← Latin per- + sistere
Some derivatives: hyperpersist, persistability, persistable, persistingly, persistive, persistor, repersist, unpersist
Built from: per- + sistere “to stand”
Etymology: From Middle French persister (Modern French persister), from Latin persistere, from per- + sistere (“to stand”).
Sources: Wiktionary “persist” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/persist#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/persist