sist

stand; stand firm

Spelled sist · Latin sistere 'cause to stand, take a stand'

Latin sistere meant 'stand': persist keeps standing, insist stands on a point, and assist stands beside someone.

Words built from it

persist — continue despite difficulty or opposition
per- (through, continuously) + Latin sistere (stand) → persistere (continue steadfastly)
insist — firmly demand or maintain something
in- (on) + Latin sistere (stand) → insistere (stand on, press a point)
resistance — opposition to a force, demand, or change
re- (back, against) + Latin sistere (stand) → resistere (stand against) → resist + -ance (state or action)
assist — help someone
ad- (beside), assimilated to as-, + Latin sistere (stand) → assistere (stand beside), through French
consist — be made up of specified parts
con- (together) + Latin sistere (stand) → consistere (stand together, be composed of)
subsist — stay alive, especially with limited food or resources
sub- (under) + Latin sistere (stand) → subsistere (stand firm, remain)
desist — stop doing something
de- (away, off) + Latin sistere (stand) → desistere (stand away, cease)

sister — Contains sist, but comes from Old English sweostor, the Germanic word for a female sibling, not Latin sistere (stand, set).