desist

Etymology

From Middle French desister.

verb

  1. (transitive, intransitive, formal) To cease to proceed or act; to stop (often with from).
    Please desist from telephoning me at this number.
    After hearing[,] an order was entered requiring respondent to cease and desist the practice complained of under section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission act. 1921, Annual Report of the Federal Trade Commission, page 173
    Desist the kind of thinking that gets you into trouble. Thinking is in itself fine, but grabbing onto thoughts and images of your self will bring you suffering. Once you learn how to desist, how to let go of your ego-grasping mind, then cease thinking ... 2005, Gerry Shishin Wick, The Book of Equanimity: Illuminating Classic Zen Koans, Simon and Schuster, page 307

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