Sist

Sist is a term in Scottish law that denotes the temporary suspension of a legal proceeding or process. When a case is sisted, the progression of the action is halted without a determination on its merits. A sist may be granted by a court or by an interlocutory order and can apply to civil actions, criminal proceedings, or related procedures, depending on the jurisdiction and the terms of the order.

The purpose of a sist is to pause the action pending a future event, such as the outcome of an appeal, the resolution of a related matter, or the fulfillment of a condition precedent. It is distinct from a final judgment or an injunction and does not resolve the underlying dispute.

Outside Scots law, sist is rarely used in modern English and may appear as a historical or dialect term meaning to stop or cease. Its use as a legal term is largely confined to Scottish jurisprudence. The word is part of the Scottish legal lexicon and is often encountered in statutes, court records, and academic writings on Scots law.

See also: stay, injunction, interdict. The term may also appear in discussions of legal procedure in Scotland, where it is contrasted with other mechanisms to pause or control court actions.