Origin: Greek suffix -ist
Persist has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
Verb
continue to exist
"These stories die hard"
"The legend of Elvis endures"
be persistent, refuse to stop
"he persisted to call me every night"
"The child persisted and kept asking questions"
stay behind
"The smell stayed in the room"
"The hostility remained long after they made up"
To go on stubbornly or resolutely.
"Despite my pleas for him to stop, he persisted in arguing his point until everyone was exhausted."