Tangentially, I wonder why both the words "cease" and "desist" are necessary. Aren't they synonyms? Perhaps it's just for emphasis?
The doubling—and sometimes even tripling—often originates in the transition from use of one language for legal purposes to another… To ensure understanding, the terms from both languages were used. This reflected the interactions between Germanic and Roman law following the decline of the Roman Empire.”
Desist - Latin to stare (sta-re, not homonym of stair) meaning "to stand", then (still) Latin to "sistere" meaning "to stop" plus prefix de, which in this context is "an order (from top, aka court) to down (aka to you)", then Old French.
Huh.
So this is basically court-enforced stop and yielding to the other party.
> Doublets may also have arisen or persisted because the solicitors and clerks who drew up conveyances and other documents were paid by the word
(Its also why lay people shouldn't write their own contracts, because a lawyer with contract experience won't use words that haven't been tested.)
So perhaps they should be cease or desist.