# grist

> English word · Noun · IPA /ɡɹɪst/ · frequency rank #42,679

## Definitions
1. Grain that is to be ground in a mill.
2. A group of bees.
3. Supply; provision.
4. A given size of rope, common grist being a rope three inches in circumference, with twenty yarns in each of the three strands.
5. Ellipsis of grist for the mill.

## Etymology
From Middle English grist, gryst, from Old English grist, gyrst (“the action of grinding, corn for grinding, gnashing”), of obscure origin: possibly from a pre-Germanic substrate language, or from a derivative of Proto-Germanic *gredaną (“to crunch”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- (“to rub, grind”). Cognate with Old Saxon gristgrimmo (“gnashing of the teeth”), German Griesgram (“a grumbler, a grouch, peevishness, misery”), Old English gristel (“gristle”).

## Easily confused with
- **GST** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grist-vs-gst)
- **grt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grist-vs-grt)
- **grit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grist-vs-grit)
- **gust** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grist-vs-gust)
- **guest** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grist-vs-guest)
- **gross** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grist-vs-gross)
- **guilt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grist-vs-guilt)
- **guise** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grist-vs-guise)
- **grunt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grist-vs-grunt)
- **Groot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grist-vs-groot)
- **grits** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grist-vs-grits)
- **grout** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grist-vs-grout)
- **gritty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grist-vs-gritty)
- **git** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/git-vs-grist)
- **gift** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gift-vs-grist)
- **grid** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grid-vs-grist)
- **grip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grip-vs-grist)
- **grim** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grim-vs-grist)
- **grin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grin-vs-grist)
- **Gras** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gras-vs-grist)

## Common misspellings (7)
`ggrist`, `girst`, `grisst`, `gristt`, `grrist`, `grsit`, `rgist`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/grist