Resist

Resist is a verb meaning to withstand, oppose, or refrain from complying. It appears in senses ranging from physical opposition to mental or moral defiance. The word derives from Latin resistere, from re- “back” and sistere “to stand.”

In everyday language, to resist something is to push against it or to resist temptation; in gear design, a material resists deformation; in chemistry, a substance resists reaction.

In electrical engineering, resistance is an intrinsic property of a material that impedes the flow of electric current, measured in ohms. Ohm's law relates resistance to voltage and current: V = IR. Resistive components called resistors are used to control current.

In materials science, people speak of chemical resistance and corrosion resistance, describing a material’s ability to withstand chemical attack or environmental factors.

In biology, antibiotic resistance arises when microorganisms survive exposure to a drug that would normally kill them, driven by genetic changes and selection. Similar concepts apply to pesticide resistance and antiviral resistance.

In politics and social life, resistance denotes organized opposition to authority, occupation, or policies, or noncompliance as a tactic. The term also appears in phrases like passive resistance or civil resistance.