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resistere

to resist; to withstand

verb reh-ZEE-steh-reh Less Common
Mind & Emotions Attitudes

Origin: From Latin resistere (to stand against).

Usage Note

Resistere takes avere as auxiliary and is followed by a — resistere alla tentazione, resistere al freddo. A common false-friend note: resistente (adjective) means 'resistant, sturdy', not 'resisting' in the active sense. The noun resistenza also gave its name to the Italian anti-fascist partisan movement of WWII, a culturally loaded usage.

Examples

"Non ha resistito alla tentazione."

Natural Translation

He did not resist the temptation.

Literal Translation

Not he-has resisted to-the temptation.

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