n.
Pronunciation: ' sist
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin cystis, from Greek kystis bladder, pouch; akin to Sanskrit ś vasiti he blows, snorts ― more at WHEEZE
Date: circa 1720
1 : a closed sac having a distinct membrane and developing abnormally in a cavity or structure of the body
2 : a body resembling a cyst: as a : a resting spore of many algae b : a gas-filled vesicle (as of a rockweed or bladderwort) c : a capsule formed about a minute organism going into a resting or spore stage also : this capsule with its contents d : a resistant cover about a parasite produced by the parasite or the host