Sist Meaning and Examples: Is It Even a Word?

"Sist" is a rare Scottish word which as a verb means to stop, suspend, or postpone a legal proceeding by a judge's order.

As a noun, "sist" means a suspension or stay of a legal proceeding (such as a judgment or execution in a lawsuit), although the word is more commonly used as a verb.

Although extremely uncommon, "sist" may be an informal abbreviation of "sister." It is more common, however, to abbreviate or shorten "sister" as "sis."

The word "sist" is not commonly used in modern English, and its meaning and usage can be quite obscure. It is a somewhat archaic term, primarily found in legal contexts.

How "sist" is used in context

As a verb

In a Scottish courtroom, a lawyer requests that a particular legal action be temporarily halted while new evidence is being considered. She may say, "Your Honor, I respectfully request that you sist the proceedings in this case to allow for the examination of this crucial piece of evidence. It may have a significant impact on the outcome of the trial."

In the example above, "sist" is used as a verb that means to stop, suspend, or postpone a legal proceeding by a judge's order. The lawyer is requesting that the judge postpone the proceedings of the case to allow for the examination of a certain piece of evidence.

As a noun

Continuing off from the example above, the judge may indeed decide to postpone the proceedings of the case and declare, "In accordance with the court's sist, all legal proceedings related to the case have been put on hold pending further investigation."

This means according to the court's order of the suspension of the case (the sist), all legal action will be put on hold until further notice.

Discrepancy between dictionaries

As uncommon as the word is, "sist" is not found in all reputable dictionaries. It is not an entry in the Cambridge Dictionary, one of the most well-established and widely recognized English dictionaries.

The Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster Dictionary, two other reputable English dictionaries, contain the same meaning for the noun "sist" but have different definitions for the verb "sist."

Oxford English Dictionary: to stop or suspend (a legal procedure) by judicial decree; to stop or postpone (any proceeding)
Merriam-Webster: To bring into court; summon; to stay by judicial decree

Because the Oxford English Dictionary is commonly viewed as the most authoritative and comprehensive dictionary of the English language, it is generally a safer choice to go with the first definition above for the verb "sist."

The decline of the use of "sist" over time

As shown in the Google Books Ngram Viewer graph above, the use of "sist" has declined over the years. The word is primarily Scottish and limited to the legal setting.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest known use of the verb "sist" is from 1635 in a letter by Thomas Hope, an advocate and politician.

The earliest known use of the noun "sist" is from 1686, so the word was likely used and recorded as a verb before a noun, which may explain why it is more commonly used as a verb than a noun.

Latin root of "sist"

The word "sist" comes from the Latin word "sistere," which means to cause to stand or stop.

When and when not to use "sist"

There are not many situations in which a non-Scottish person outside of a court would use the word "sist" in the modern day. In a court setting, even within modern Scotland, it is safer to use more widely recognized words or phrases such as "suspend," "postpone," "on hold," or "halt."

Example sentences

The judge decided to sist the trial until the key witness could be located.
The sist of the trial was met with mixed reactions from the legal team.
The court ordered the parties to sist all activities related to the dispute pending further investigation.
The attorney made a motion to sist the case temporarily to allow for expert testimony.
The magistrate refused to sist the case, believing that it should proceed without further delay.
The judge issued a sist, temporarily halting the legal proceedings.
In complex cases, it's common to sist proceedings to gather additional information.
The court may sist a case if it believes that alternative dispute resolution could be successful.
The lawyer filed for a sist of the case, citing the need for further evidence.
The plaintiff's attorney sought to sist the lawsuit until the disputed contract could be reviewed.

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