v.
Pronunciation: ig- ' zist
Function: intransitive verb
Etymology: Latin exsistere to come into being, exist, from ex- + sistere to stand, stop; akin to Latin stare to stand ― more at STAND
Date: circa 1568
1 a : to have real being whether material or spiritual <did unicorns exist > <the largest galaxy known to exist > b : to have being in a specified place or with respect to understood limitations or conditions <strange ideas exist ed in his mind>
2 : to continue to be <racism still exist s in society>
3 a : to have life or the functions of vitality <we cannot exist without oxygen> b : to live at an inferior level or under adverse circumstances <the hungry exist ing from day to day>