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GIST
Definition of GIST
noun
The main idea or substance, or the most essential part, of a longer or more complicated matter; the crux, the heart, the pith.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
The noun is derived from Old French gist, a noun use of the third person singular indicative of gesir (“to lie down”) (modern French gésir; compare Anglo-Norman (cest) action gist (literally “(law) (this) action lies”)), from Latin iacēre, the present active infinitive of iaceō (“to lie down, lie prostrate, recline”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(H)yeh₁- (“to throw”) (probably in the sense of something being thrown down). The verb is derived from the noun. The programming sense is a genericized trademark of GitHub Gist, introduced 2008.
Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).
Word DNA
Line of descent
- Old French
- English
One recorded step before English.
Deepest traced root
9th
of 59 source languages in OUTLIER
2.9%
of traced words share this origin (2,288)
branch · 12.9% of traced words
How it is built
Its etymology also names Anglo-Norman, Latin, Proto-Indo-European.
OUTLIER scores every word on how unusual it is, and that number is not published. Working it out at the board is the game.
GIST in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 66 boards so far. 147 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 7, 28 May 2026. The most recent board was Day 158, 25 October 2026. It was on the latest finished board.
First found by a player on Day 7, 28 May 2026.
Built from these letters
GIST starts with G and ends with T. Sorted, its letters read GIST - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. No letter is used twice, which makes it an isogram.
Same letters, different word
2 other words use exactly these letters. Worth knowing at the board: an anagram fits a grid the same way.
Words that start GIST
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Also seen on Day 7
Could you have found GIST?
OUTLIER is a daily word game. One grid, the same grid for everybody, and the words nobody else spots are the ones that pay. This word was on Day 7 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER