fast

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See also -fast, fást, and fäst

Contents

English[edit]

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Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English fast, from Old English fæst (“fast, fixed, firm, secure; constant, steadfast; stiff, heavy, dense; obstinate, bound, costive; enclosed, closed, watertight; strong, fortified”), from Proto-Germanic *fastaz, *fastijaz, *fastuz (“fast, firm, secure”), from Proto-Indo-European *pasto- (“fixed, firm, fortified, solid”). Cognate with Scots fest, fast (“fast”), Saterland Frisian fest (“fast”), West Frisian fêst (“fast”), Dutch vast (“fast”), German fest (“fast”), Danish fast (“fast”), Swedish fast (“fast”), Norwegian fast (“fast”), Icelandic fastur (“fast”), Armenian հաստ (hast, “thick”), Sanskrit पस्त्य (pastyá).

The development of “rapid” from an original sense of “secure” apparently happened first in the adverb and then transferred to the adjective; compare hard in expressions like “to run hard”. The original sense of “secure, firm” is now slightly archaic, but retained in the related fasten (“make secure”).

Adjective[edit]

fast (comparative faster, superlative fastest)

  1. firmly or securely fixed in place; stable [from 9th c.]
    That rope is dangerously loose. Make it fast!
  2. Of people: steadfast, with unwavering feeling. (Now only in set phrases like "fast friend".) [from 10th c.]
  3. Moving with great speed, or capable of doing so; swift, rapid [from 14th c.]
    I am going to buy a fast car.
  4. (computing, of a piece of hardware) Able to transfer data in a short period of time
  5. deep or sound (of sleep); fast asleep (of people) [16th-19th c.]
  6. Of dyes or colours: not running or fading when subjected to detrimental conditions such as wetness or intense light; permanent [from 17th c.]
    All the washing has come out pink. That red tee-shirt was not fast.
  7. (colloquial) Having an extravagant lifestyle or immoral habits [from 18th c.]
    She's fast – she slept with him on their first date..
  8. ahead of the correct time or schedule [from 19th c.]
    There must be something wrong with the hall clock. It is always fast.
  9. (of photographic film) More sensitive to light than average [from 20th c.]
Synonyms[edit]
Antonyms[edit]
  • (occurring or happening within a short time): slow
  • (ahead of the correct time or schedule): slow, behind
  • (firmly or securely fixed in place): loose
  • (of sleep: deep or sound): light
Derived terms[edit]

(bound, secured):

(rapid):

Translations[edit]
firmly or securely fixed in place
of sleep: deep or sound
of a dye: not running or fading
capable of moving with great speed
ahead of the correct time or schedule
of photographic film: more sensitive to light than average

Adverb[edit]

fast (comparative faster, superlative fastest)

  1. In a firm or secure manner, securely; in such a way as not to be moved [from 10th c.]
    Hold this rope as fast as you can.
  2. (of sleeping) deeply or soundly [from 13th c.]
    He is fast asleep.
  3. Immediately following in place or time; close, very near [from 13th c.]
    The horsemen came fast on our heels.
  4. quickly, with great speed; within a short time [from 13th c.]
    Do it as fast as you can.
  5. ahead of the correct time or schedule
    I think my watch is running fast.
Synonyms[edit]
Antonyms[edit]
  • (quickly): slowly
  • (in a firm or secure manner): loosely
  • (of sleeping: deeply or soundly): lightly
  • (ahead of the correct time or schedule): behind
Translations[edit]
in a firm or secure manner
of sleeping: deeply or soundly
with great speed
ahead of the correct time or schedule

Noun[edit]

fast (plural fasts)

  1. (UK, rail transport) A train that calls at only some stations it passes between its origin and destination, typically just the principal stations
Synonyms[edit]
Antonyms[edit]
Translations[edit]
train that only calls at some stations — see express

Interjection[edit]

fast

  1. (archery) Short for "stand fast", a warning not to pass between the arrow and the target
Antonyms[edit]
Translations[edit]
archery: stop shooting

Etymology 2[edit]

Old English fæstan (verb), from Proto-Germanic *fastijaną. Cognate with Dutch vasten, German fasten, Old Norse fasta, Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌽. The noun is probably from Old Norse fasta.

Verb[edit]

fast (third-person singular simple present fasts, present participle fasting, simple past and past participle fasted)

  1. (intransitive) to abstain from or eat very little food; to abstain from food for religious or medical reasons
    • 2007, John Zerzan, Silence, p. 3,
      It is at the core of the Vision Quest, the solitary period of fasting and closeness to the earth to discover one's life path and purpose.
Translations[edit]
to abstain from or eat very little food

Noun[edit]

fast (plural fasts)

  1. The act or practice of abstaining from food or of eating very little food
  2. The period of time during which one abstains from or eats very little food
Synonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Terms derived from the noun “fast”
Translations[edit]
fasting — see fasting

Statistics[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Danish[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Old Norse fastr, from Proto-Germanic *fastuz, from Proto-Indo-European *pasto- (“solid, stable, hard, thick”).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA: /fast/, [fasd̥]

Adjective[edit]

fast (neuter fast, definite and plural faste)

  1. firm
  2. solid
  3. tight
  4. fixed
  5. permanent
  6. regular
Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From German fast (“almost, nearly”).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA: /fast/, [fasd̥]

Adverb[edit]

fast

  1. (dated) almost, nearly
Synonyms[edit]

Etymology 3[edit]

See faste (“to fast”).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA: /faːst/, [fæːˀsd̥]

Verb[edit]

fast

  1. imperative of faste

German[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Old High German fasto, compare fest. Cognate with English adverb fast.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA: /fast/
  • audio (Austria)
    		(file)

Adverb[edit]

fast

  1. almost; nearly
    Fast 60 Spielfilme sind zu sehen. — “There are almost 60 feature films to see.”
  2. (in a negative clause) hardly

Synonyms[edit]

Antonyms[edit]

  • (almost, nearly): ganz

Middle English[edit]

Adverb[edit]

fast

  1. fast (quickly)

Norwegian[edit]

Adjective[edit]

fast

  1. solid, steady, firm
    fast telefon - fixed phone

Old Saxon[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Germanic *fast-.

Adjective[edit]

fast

  1. solid, firm

Declension[edit]

Positive forms of fast
Strong declension
masculine neuter feminine
singular plural singular plural singular plural
nominative fast faste fast faste fast fastu
accusative fastna faste fast faste fasta fastu
genitive fastes fastarō fastes fastarō fastaro fastarō
dative fastumu fastum fastumu fastum fastaro fastum
Weak declension
masculine neuter feminine
singular plural singular plural singular plural
nominative fasto fastu fasta fastu fasta fastu
accusative fastun fastun fasta fastun fastun fastun
genitive fastun fastonō fastun fastonō fastun fastonō
dative fastun fastum fastun fastum fastun fastum


Swedish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

fast

  1. caught (unable to move freely), captured
    Bankrånaren är nu fast
    The bank robber has now been caught (by the police)
  2. firm, fastened, unmoving
    Ge mig en fast punkt, och jag skall flytta världen
    Give me one firm spot, and I'll move the world
  3. solid (as opposed to liquid)
    fasta tillståndets fysik
    solid state physics

Declension[edit]

Declension of fast
Inflections of
fast		 Absolute Comparative Superlative
Attributive Predicative
Indefinite
singular		 Common fast fastare fastast
Neuter fast
Definite
singular		 Masc. faste fastaste
All fasta fastaste
Plural fasta fastaste

Related terms[edit]

Adverb[edit]

fast

  1. fixed, firmly, steadily (synonymous to the adjective)

Conjunction[edit]

fast

  1. although, even though
    Farsan löper också bra, fast inte lika fort.
    Dad also runs well, although not as fast.

Related terms[edit]

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