Persistent

How to spell persistent

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce persistent

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does persistent mean?

1. adjectiveContinuing firmly or stubbornly over time, despite difficulty or opposition.

Persistent in a sentence

• Her persistent cough finally sent her to the doctor.

• The team faced persistent delays throughout the project.

Where does persistent come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin persistere, meaning 'to continue steadfastly' or 'to stand firm through', built from the prefix per-, meaning 'through' or 'thoroughly', and sistere, meaning 'to stand' or 'to cause to stand'. That same sistere root literally pictured something taking a firm stand and refusing to be moved, and it survives in a whole family of English words such as 'insist', 'resist', 'consist', and 'assist'. The present participle persistens described someone or something that keeps standing firm, and English adopted the adjective through French in the early 1800s. The spelling trap sits in the unstressed middle and ending: the -sist- is easy, but writers often hesitate over the final -ent versus -ant, since both endings sound like a faint schwa. Remembering the relatives 'insistent' and 'consistent', which also take -ent, helps fix the correct ending.

How the word is built

• per- (through, thoroughly)
• sist (from sistere: to stand, to take a stand)
• -ent (adjective suffix)