WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : In*sist"
Part of Speech : v.
Etymology : [F. insister, L. insistere to set foot upon, follow, persist; pref. in- in + sistere to stand, cause to stand. See Stand.]
Definition : 1. To stand or rest; to find support; -- with in, on, or upon. [R.] Ray.

2. To take a stand and refuse to give way; to hold to something firmly or determinedly; to be persistent, urgent, or pressing; to persist in demanding; -- followed by on, upon, or that; as, he insisted on these conditions; he insisted on going at once; he insists that he must have money. Insisting on the old prerogative. Shak. Without further insisting on the different tempers of Juvenal and Horace. Dryden.

Syn. -- Insist, Persist. -- Insist implies some alleged right, as authority or claim. Persist may be from obstinacy alone, and either with or against rights. We insist as against others; we persist in what exclusively relates to ourselves; as, he persisted in that course; he insisted on his friend's adopting it. C. J. Smith.

i. [imp. & p. p. Insisted; p. pr. & vb. n. Insisting.]
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913