noun
gist
jihst
noun
1
The main point or essential meaning of something longer or more complicated.
"I didn't catch every word, but I got the gist of the argument."
"Just give me the gist — I don't need all the details."
How to Use Gist
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe core idea or main point of something, stripped of the details.
Common pairings
get the gist
the gist of it
catch the gist
Word Forms
gisted past tense, gists plural, gists plural, gists singular
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I didn't catch every word, but I got the _____ of the argument.
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman legal French gist ("[the case] lies/rests"), from Old French gesir ("to lie"), ultimately from Latin iacere ("to lie down").