Main entry: gist, heart, heart and soul, nub, nitty-gritty, essence, core, centre, center, pith, meat, inwardness, kernel, marrow, substance, sum
Definition: the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
Usage: the gist of the prosecutor's argument; the heart and soul of the Republican Party; the nub of the story
Main entry: pith
Definition: soft spongelike central cylinder of the stems of most flowering plants
Main entry: pith
Definition: remove the pith from (a plant)