means The act of opposing or pushing back against something — a force, an authority, an idea, or a current — whether in physics, politics, or the body.

from From Latin 'resistere,' to stand firm or hold one's ground, built from 're-' (back, against) plus 'sistere' (to take a stand, to make stay) — itself a doubling of the root 'stare,' to stand. So at its very heart the word is a body planting its feet. It traveled through Old French 'resistance' into English, and over centuries spread its meaning outward: from standing against a person, to the friction a wire offers an electric current, to the underground networks who stood against occupying armies.