Hypertext Webster Gateway: "gist"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Gist \Gist\, n. [OF. giste abode, lodgings, F. g[^i]te, fr.
g['e]sir to lie, L. jac?re, prop., to be thrown, hence, to
lie, fr. jac?re to throw. In the second sense fr. OF. gist,
F. g[^i]t, 3d pers. sing. ind. of g['e]sir to lie, used in a
proverb, F., c'est l[`a] que g[^i]t le li[`e]vre, it is there
that the hare lies, i. e., that is the point, the difficulty.
See {Jet} a shooting forth, and cf. {Agist}, {Joist}, n.,
{Gest} a stage in traveling.]
1. A resting place. [Obs.]
These quails have their set gists; to wit, ordinary
resting and baiting places. --Holland.
2. The main point, as of a question; the point on which an
action rests; the pith of a matter; as, the gist of a
question.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
gist
n 1: the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work
[syn: {effect}, {essence}, {burden}, {core}]
2: the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some
idea or experience: "the gist of the prosecutor's
argument"; "the heart and soul of the Republican Party";
"the nub of the story" [syn: {kernel}, {substance}, {core},
{center}, {essence}, {heart}, {heart and soul}, {inwardness},
{marrow}, {meat}, {nub}, {pith}, {sum}, {nitty-gritty}]
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