Resist

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈzɪst/

Definitions

1. To refuse to accept or comply with something, or to withstand the action or effect of something
2. To oppose or withstand the force of something, as well as to refuse to accept or yield to a certain influence or temptation
3. To stand firm against something unfavorable or harmful while also maintaining a refusal to submit to pressure or challenge

Etymology: The verb "resist" carries a deeper sense of standing firm than most people realise: at its Latin root, "resistere" is built from "re-", meaning back or against, and "sistere", meaning to cause to stand or to make something stand still. To resist was, quite literally, to plant yourself in the path of something and refuse to move. The word passed into English through a chain of related languages. Latin "resistere" became "resister" in Old French, and from there reached Middle English as "resisten". Each stage kept the physical image of standing against a push, so the sense of holding your ground was present long before the word described abstract opposition to ideas, laws or authority. The same Latin stem, "sistere", sits behind a family of English words such as "assist", "consist", "exist" and "persist", all of which share the basic idea of standing or causing to stand. Seen this way, "resist" is one member of a group of words that all grow from the notion of standing firm in one place.

Synonyms: withstand, oppose, refuse, combat, defy

Antonyms: yield, submit, capitulate