Fast
/fæst/noun
Moving or capable of moving at high speed; fixed securely in place; or abstaining from food.
Did you know?The “abstain from food” sense of fast comes from Old English fæstan, originally meaning to hold firmly or observe a religious discipline, which is why fasting was once seen as a binding spiritual act.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*past-
“to fast, to hold oneself rigidly to a rule”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*fastuz
“firm, fixed, steadfast”
Old English
English
fæst
“firm, secure, steadfast”
Old English
English
fæstan
“to fast, observe a religious abstinence”
Middle English
English
fasten
“to make firm; to hold securely”
Middle English
English
fast
“quick, rapid; also abstaining from food”
Modern English
English
fast
“moving quickly; firmly fixed; abstaining from food”