desist means to cease to proceed or act; to stop (often with from).
desist is pronounced /dɪˈsɪst/.
Why “desist” is a great word
To cease to proceed or act; to stop. From Middle French *desister*, from Latin *dēsistō*, from *dē-* (off, away) + *sistō* (to stand, to cause to stand). First recorded in English in the late Middle English period (1425–75). Unlike “persist” (to doggedly continue against the grain) or the blunt utility of “stop,” to desist is a formal and deliberate arrest, a willed abstention. It is the hand withdrawn from a door already half-opened, the voice dissolving into silence mid-reproach, the locomotive slowing, not because the tracks end, but because the engineer has decided that here is far enough—the quiet dignity of restraint, where action is not merely ended but surrendered.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French desister, from Latin dēsistō, from dē- + sistō (whence de-).
verb
- To cease to proceed or act; to stop (often with from).e.g.“Please desist from telephoning me at this number.”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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