vasten

English

Etymology

From vast +‎ -en (verbal suffix).

Verb

vasten (third-person singular simple present vastens, present participle vastening, simple past and past participle vastened)

1. (rare, transitive, intransitive) To make or become vast
   • 1871, The Sunday Magazine, page 425:

     And while I gazed in wonder and incipient alarm, straightway the throne and the king seemed strangely to blend into one, and then to grow and expand on all sides; and still vastening, and ever more vastening, it presently rose from the earth, self-moved, tremulous in every part with life, huge, dreadful, with deep rifts, and chasms, and gulfs of darkness.

Anagrams

• Vestan, ventas, vestan

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• vasten:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑstən

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch vasten, from Old Dutch *faston, from Proto-Germanic *fastijaną.

Verb

vasten

1. to fast

Inflection

Conjugation of vasten (weak)
infinitive	vasten
past singular	vastte
past participle	gevast
infinitive	vasten
gerund	vasten n
	present tense	past tense
1st person singular	vast	vastte
2nd person sing. (jij)	vast	vastte
2nd person sing. (u)	vast	vastte
2nd person sing. (gij)	vast	vastte
3rd person singular	vast	vastte
plural	vasten	vastten
subjunctive sing.1	vaste	vastte
subjunctive plur.1	vasten	vastten
imperative sing.	vast
imperative plur.1	vast
participles	vastend	gevast
1) Archaic.

Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch vastene f, from Old Dutch *fastunna, from Proto-Germanic *fastubniją, *fastubnijō. Cognate with Old Saxon fastunnia, Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐍃𐍄𐌿𐌱𐌽𐌹 (fastubni).

Noun

vasten m or n (uncountable)

1. fast (period of time when one abstains from or eats very little food)

Anagrams

• staven

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Finnish

Etymology

Singular instructive of vasta-.

Adverb

vasten

1. (colloquial, dialectal) against

   En ole vasten.

   I'm not against.

Synonyms

• vastaan

Antonyms

• puolesta

Inflection

Declension of vasten noun case singular plural adverbial form singular plural nominative vasta- – superessive – – genitive – – delative – – partitive – – sublative – – accusative – – lative – – inessive vastassa – temporal – – elative – – causative – – illative vastaan – multiplicative – – adessive – – distributive – – ablative – – temp. dist. – – allative – – prolative – – essive – – situative vastakkain – translative – – oppositive vastatusten – abessive vasten vastoin instructive – – comitative – –

Postposition

vasten

1. against (of a position, touching)

   Lapio nojasi seinää vasten.

   The shovel was leaning against the wall.

2. against (of a position, against a background)

   Katso sitä valoa vasten, niin näet, mitä tarkoitan.

   Look at it against the light, and you will see what I mean.

3. preceding, before (immediately before)

   Se tapahtui torstaita vasten yöllä.

   It happened in the night preceding Thursday.

4. towards, against (to a direction)

   Kapteeni ohjasi keulan tuulta vasten.

   The captain steered the bow towards the wind.

5. against (in opposition to, opposing)

   Taistelimme intiaaneja vasten kolme päivää ja yötä.

   We fought against the Indians for three days and nights.

6. against (contrary to)

   Hän toimi selkeää kieltoa vasten.

   He acted against a clear prohibition.

7. (colloquial) for (a purpose)

   Mitä vasten?

   What for?

Usage notes

Used also as preposition, without change in meaning.

Synonyms

• (preceding): ennen
• (to a direction): vastaan, kohti
• (in opposition to): vastaan
• (contrary to): vastoin
• (for a purpose): varten, takia

Derived terms

• varta vasten

Compounds

• vastenmielinen
• vastentahtoinen

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Ingrian

Preposition

vasten

1. opposed to

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Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch *faston, from Proto-Germanic *fastijaną.

Verb

vasten

1. to fast

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Dutch: vasten
• Limburgish: vaste

Further reading

• “vasten (I)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “vasten (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I