LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbthird conjugation, no supine stem, impersonal in the passive

īnsistō

īnsistō (present infinitive īnsistere, perfect active īnstitī)
Classical[ĩːˈsɪs.toː]Ecclesiastical[inˈsis.to]

Meaning

  1. impersonaltransitiveto set foot, stand, tread or press on or upon
  2. impersonaltransitiveto enter or embark on, pursue (a way, path or journey)
  3. impersonalwith dativeto follow, pursue, press on
  4. impersonalintransitiveto halt, pause, stop, stand still; pause in thought, dwell upon, hesitate, doubt
  5. figurativelyimpersonalwith dativeto press upon, urge
  6. accusativefigurativelyimpersonalwith dativeto set about, devote or apply oneself to, set to work (on)
  7. figurativelyimpersonalinfinitivewith dativeto persevere, continue, persist in

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Conjugation conjugation 3 no-supine

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.īnsistōīnsistēbamīnsistamīnstitīīnstiteramīnstiterō
2nd sg.īnsistisīnsistēbāsīnsistēsīnstitistīīnstiterāsīnstiteris
3rd sg.īnsistitīnsistēbatīnsistetīnstititīnstiteratīnstiterit
1st pl.īnsistimusīnsistēbāmusīnsistēmusīnstitimusīnstiterāmusīnstiterimus
2nd pl.īnsistitisīnsistēbātisīnsistētisīnstitistisīnstiterātisīnstiteritis
3rd pl.īnsistuntīnsistēbantīnsistentīnstitērunt
īnstitēre		īnstiterantīnstiterint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.īnsistamīnsisteremīnstiterimīnstitissem
2nd sg.īnsistāsīnsisterēsīnstiterīsīnstitissēs
3rd sg.īnsistatīnsisteretīnstiteritīnstitisset
1st pl.īnsistāmusīnsisterēmusīnstiterīmusīnstitissēmus
2nd pl.īnsistātisīnsisterētisīnstiterītisīnstitissētis
3rd pl.īnsistantīnsisterentīnstiterintīnstitissent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.———
2nd sg.———
3rd sg.īnsistiturīnsistēbāturīnsistētur
1st pl.———
2nd pl.———
3rd pl.———
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.——
2nd sg.——
3rd sg.īnsistāturīnsisterētur
1st pl.——
2nd pl.——
3rd pl.——
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.īnsiste—
pres. 2nd pl.īnsistite—
fut. 2nd sg.īnsistitō—
fut. 3rd sg.īnsistitōīnsistitor
fut. 2nd pl.īnsistitōte—
fut. 3rd pl.īnsistuntō—
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitiveīnsistereīnsistī
perfect infinitiveīnstitisse—
present participleīnsistēns—
future participle—īnsistendum
īnsistundum
gerundīnsistendī, īnsistendō, īnsistendum

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

vestigiis alicuius insistere, ingredi (also metaph.)
to follow in any one's steps.

in-sisto, stĭti, 3, v. n.,
I. to set foot upon, to stand, tread, or press upon; constr. mostly with dat., also with in and abl. or acc., or the simple acc. (class.).
I. Lit.
A. In gen.
(a). With dat.: nec desunt villae quae secutae fluminis amoenitatem margini insistunt, Plin. Ep. 8, 8, 6: ut proximi jacentibus insisterent, stepped upon them, Caes. B. G. 2, 27: alternis pedibus, Quint. 11, 3, 128: volucres metuunt insistere ramis, Luc. 3, 407: vestigiis, Liv. 25, 33 fin.: huic (saxo) institerat frustra, Ov. F. 5, 150: plantis, Juv. 6, 96: clamoso circo, occupy a place in, id. 9, 144.—
(b). With in and abl.: insistebat in manu Cereris dextra simulacrum Victoriae, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 49, § 110: cingulus australis, in quo qui insistunt, id. Rep. 6, 20: in jugo, Caes. B. G. 4, 33: ipse non insistere in terra poterat, Curt. 7, 7, 6.—
(g). With in and acc.: in sinistrum pedem, Quint. 11, 3, 125; cf.: corvus repente super galeam insistit, lights, Gell. 9, 11, 7.—
(d). With the simple acc.: plantam, Plaut. Cas. 4, 4, 21: limen, to step upon, to tread the threshold, Verg. A. 6, 563: vestigia nuda sinistri pedis, id. ib. 7, 690: primis infans vestigia plantis, id. ib. 11, 574: cineres, Hor. Epod. 16, 11.—
B. Esp.
1. To enter on or pursue a way, path, or journey: cum semel institerunt vestigia certa viaï, Lucr. 1, 407: huc an illuc iter, Plaut. Cist. 4, 2, 11: omnes itinera insistant sua, id. Capt. 4, 2, 14: quam insistam viam, Ter. Eun. 2, 3, 3; id. Phorm. 1, 4, 14; Liv. 37, 7, 8.—
2. In hostile sense, to follow, pursue, press on; with dat.: effusis hostibus, Liv. 26, 44, 4: fugientibus, id. 27, 13, 4: contenti non institere cedentibus, Curt. 8, 11, 18; Nep. Eum. 4.—Pass. impers.: ut fracto jam Maroboduo, usque in exitium insisteretur, Tac. A. 2, 62.—
II. Trop.
A. In gen., to follow, pursue.
(a). With acc.: viam domandi, Verg. G. 3, 164: rationem pugnae, plan, Caes. B. G. 3, 14, 3.—
(b). With dat.: vestigiis laudum suarum, Liv. 5, 30, 2: honoribus, Plin. Ep. 4, 8, 4.—
B. Esp.
1. To follow up, pursue an object or enterprise; to press vigorously, apply one's self to: in dolos, Plaut. Mil. 2, 4, 4: totus et mente et animo in bellum, Caes. B. G. 6, 5. — With acc.: hoc negotium, Plaut. Mil. 3, 3, 54: manus, Cic. de Or. 3, 45, 176.—With dat.: rebus magnis, Tib. 4, 1, 135: perdomandae Campaniae, Tac. H. 3, 77.—
2. To set about, devote one's self to, to begin with zeal; with inf.: tribuni orare dictatorem insistunt, ut, etc., Liv. 8, 35, 2: Appium institit sequi, id. 25, 19, 8; 24, 26, 11; 24, 46, 1; cf.: postero die ad spolia legenda foedamque spectandam stragem insistunt, id. 22, 51, 5: flagitare senatus institit Coruntum, ut, Cic. Fam. 10, 16, 1. — Absol.: sic institit ore, i. e. began to speak, Verg. A. 12, 47; cf.: sic insistit secumque corde volutat, i. e. to reflect, think, id. ib. 4, 533.—
3. To persevere, continue, persist in; with inf.: credere, Plaut. Capt. 3, 4, 53: tueri, Nep. Att. 11.—With dat.: sin crudelitati insisteret, Tac. A. 16, 25: spei, id. H. 2, 46: caedibus, id. A. 2, 21: studiis, to pursue diligently, Quint. 1, 12, 10: obsidioni, Curt. 7, 6, 23: curae rerum, Plin. 28, 1, 1, § 2: funeri, to set forward, id. 7, 52, 53, § 177. — Absol.: importune, to persist, Cic. Ac. 2, 25, 80; Tac. A. 4, 60.—
4. To press upon, urge; with dat.: atriensibus ut supellectilem exponant, Col. 12, 3, 9: id bellum ipsis institit moenibus, was at, Liv. 2, 51, 2.—Absol.: dilataque tempora taedae Institerant, were at hand, Ov. M. 9, 769: institit quantum potuit ut illum ex eorum manibus liberaret, urged, insisted, Aug. in Psa. 63, 4. —
III. To press upon, repress; and hence, to halt, pause, stop, stand still: stellarum motus insistunt, Cic. N. D. 2, 40, 103: ut non referat pedem, insistet certe, id. Phil. 12, 3, 8; Tac. A. 4, 60: quae cum dixisset paulumque institisset, Cic. Fin. 5, 25, 75; id. Or. 56, 187: saepe accidit, ut aut citius insistendum sit, aut longius procedendum, id. ib. 66, 221; so, to pause in thought, hesitate, doubt: ille in reliquis rebus non poterit eodem modo insistere? Cic. Ac. 2, 33, 107; 2, 29, 94.—
B. To dwell upon, delay at, treat or consider at length: ut si singulis insistere velim, progredi iste non possit, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 74, § 172: insistendum ei (arbori) paulum, Plin. 13, 16, 30, § 100: profuit adsidue vitiis insistere amicae, Ov. R. Am. 315.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
  2. Proto-Italic*en
  3. Proto-Italic*en-
  4. Latinīnsistō

Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- Proto-Indo-European *stísteh₂ti Proto-Italic *sistō Latin sistō Latin īnsistō From in- + sistō (“stand, set, place”).

Descendants
  • Catalaninsistir
  • Englishinsist
  • Frenchinsister
  • Italianinsistere
  • Portugueseinsistir
  • Romanianinsista
  • Spanishinsistir
  • Aragoneseinsistir
  • Esperantoinsisti
  • Galicianinsistir

In English words that came into English from īnsistō

  • insistīnsistō
  • insistentinsistens

Quick answers

What does īnsistō mean in Latin?
īnsistō, a verb, means “to set foot, stand, tread or press on or upon; to enter or embark on, pursue (a way, path or journey); to follow, pursue, press on”.
What are the principal parts of īnsistō?
īnsistō, īnsistere, īnstitī (third conjugation, no supine stem, impersonal in the passive).
How do you pronounce īnsistō?
In classical Latin, [ĩːˈsɪs.toː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [inˈsis.to].
Where does īnsistō come from?
Proto-Indo-European *h₁én → Proto-Italic *en → Proto-Italic *en- → Latin īnsistō.