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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. An agreement, as between lovers, to meet at a certain time and place.
  2. n. A meeting or meeting place that has been agreed on. See Synonyms at engagement.
  3. v. To keep a tryst.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. Same as trust, in various senses.
  2. n. An appointment to meet; an appointed meeting: as, to keep tryst; to break tryst.
  3. n. An appointed place of meeting; a rendezvous.
  4. n. An appointed meeting for the exchange of commodities; a market: as, Falkirk tryst (a noted horse- and cattle-market held at Falkirk in Scotland).
  5. Same as trust, in various senses.
  6. To make an appointment to meet at a given time and place; engage to meet.
  7. To agree to meet at any particular time or place.

Wiktionary

  1. n. A prearranged meeting or assignation, now especially between lovers to meet at a specific place and time.
  2. n. A mutual agreement, a covenant.
  3. v. To make a tryst; to agree to meet at a place.
  4. v. To arrange or appoint (a meeting time etc.).
  5. v. To keep a tryst, to meet at an agreed place and time.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. Trust.
  2. n. An appointment to meet; also, an appointed place or time of meeting.
  3. v. To trust.
  4. v. To agree with to meet at a certain place; to make an appointment with.
  5. v. To mutually agree to meet at a certain place.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. a secret rendezvous (especially between lovers)
  2. n. a date; usually with a member of the opposite sex

Etymologies

  1. Middle English trist, from Old French triste, a waiting place (in hunting); see deru- in Indo-European roots.

Examples

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Comments

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  • rolig I'm sure the standard pronunciation is with a short i, rhyming with "wrist" or (more to the point) "cyst". In normal English pronunciation, "y", when used as a vowel, behaves just like "i", which means that when followed by two consonantal phonemes, without a silent "e" at the end to indicate a long vowel, it is pronounced like the "i" in "hit". Also, notice that it doesn't mean an "affair" or a "fling", but only a planned meeting, a date or rendezvous. Mar 21, 2008

  • dgstone I use this word on a regular basis. It is used in literature, music and TV, so I am a little stunned that people don't know how its pronounced. Mar 21, 2008

  • arby I think it's one of those words that if you've never heard it pronounced you would think it rhymed with iced, but I believe seanahan is right that it should be pronounced to rhyme with wrist. Tricky English! Jul 8, 2007

  • seanahan Every source I can find says that it should rhyme with wrist. It certainly isn't common, but I wouldn't say it is rare. I've used it a number of times, of course, if you post here, you aren't a good judge of someone who uses "common" words. Jul 6, 2007

  • uselessness I've always pronounced it to rhyme with "iced." Well, I'm not sure that I've ever pronounced it, out loud, to anyone... it's not really a common word. But I've imagined it to rhyme with "iced," and that's why I'm part of the problem. Jul 6, 2007

  • reesetee Could be, jennarenn. Or maybe that club likes to foster an alternate pronunciation? Jul 6, 2007

  • jennarenn There's a club in DC by the name of Tryst that everybody always pronouces with a long-i sound. Could it be regional? Jul 6, 2007

  • reesetee That's how I've always pronounced it. Jul 6, 2007

  • arby But it's supposed to rhyme with wrist right? Jul 6, 2007

  • jennarenn That's how I've always said it, but I have trouble getting the /h/ in there. Jul 5, 2007

  • uselessness I think that second one is actually meant to rhyme with iced, as spoken by Zsa Zsa Gabor. Read it just as printed, and the Y should be pronounced as a long I. I think. Jul 5, 2007

  • jennarenn dictionary.com gives thes following pronunciations: trist, trahyst. I can't make heads or tails of the second one. Too many consonants. Jul 5, 2007

  • arby I used to think it rhymed with iced. Jul 5, 2007

  • mikepurvis Having a single-syllable word for affair is great, especially for colouring otherwise bland narratives: "The design firm spent a year courting various manufacturers, but only one was interested, and alas, managerial differences doomed their relationship to being nothing more than an unfruitful tryst." Dec 15, 2006

  • seanahan I like that it portrays a simple, whimsical sort of affair. Dec 11, 2006

  • dreamiegrl I love this word. It is so romantic, so free. It evokes suspense, passion - like a secret life of desire. I crave this word. Dec 11, 2006

‘tryst’ has been looked up 3066 times, loved by 9 people, added to 112 lists, commented on 16 times, and has a Scrabble score of 8.