n.

1. The central idea; the essence. See synonyms at substance.
2. Law. The grounds for action in a suit.

[From Anglo-Norman (cest action) gist, (this action) lies, third person sing. of gesir, to lie, from Latin iacēre.]

noun

The most central and material part: core, essence, heart, kernel, marrow, meat, nub, pith, quintessence, root¹, soul, spirit, stuff, substance. Law gravamen. See be.

IN BRIEF: The point or general sense.

He did not get the gist of the story.

Tutor's tip: The adventurers dared not "jest" (joke) about the outcome of their "gest" (a great adventure). Note: The "gist" of something is the central idea or essence of something.

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has 2 meanings:

Meaning #1: the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work
  Synonyms: effect, essence, burden, core

Meaning #2: the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
  Synonyms: kernel, substance, core, center, essence, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, marrow, meat, nub, pith, sum, nitty-gritty

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - kerne, hovedpunkt, essens

Nederlands (Dutch)
hoofdgedachte, grondslag

Français (French)
n. - essentiel (de)

Deutsch (German)
n. - Hauptgedanke, Kern

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - κύρια ή ουσιώδη σημεία, ουσία, ουσιώδες μέρος, κεντρική ιδέα, κεντρικό νόημα (κν. ζουμί)

Italiano (Italian)
essenza

Português (Portuguese)
n. - essência (f), ponto (m) principal

Русский (Russian)
суть

Español (Spanish)
n. - esencia, quid, fondo, lo esencial, motivo principal

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - kärnpunkt

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
要点, 依据, 要旨

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 要點, 依據, 要旨

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 주안점

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 要点, 要旨, 主要訴因, 主旨

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) جوهر, اساس, الامر‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮נקודות עיקריות, תמצית, מקום ההתרחשות (משפטים)‬

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