Fast

Part of speech: adjective, adverb

Pronunciation: /fɑːst/

Definitions

1. Moving or capable of moving at high speed; adhering strictly and securely; abstaining from all or some kinds of food or drink for a period of time
2. Characterized by rapid motion or quickness; fixed securely in place without movement; refraining from eating for religious, health, or other reasons
3. Marked by swift action or high velocity; firmly attached or immovable; voluntarily avoiding food for a designated duration

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "fast" is that its original meaning was nearly the opposite of speed. In Old English, "fæst" meant "firm" or "secure," as in something fixed in place, and that sense survives today in "fasten," which means to make something secure. The jump to "rapid" happened first in the adverb, where "to run fast" meant to run while held firm to a course, much as "hard" is used in "to run hard." The adjective later followed the adverb's lead, so a sense of steadfastness gradually turned into one of quickness. The word also shows up in an unexpected religious role. The Old English noun "fæsten" originally meant "fortress" or "enclosure," and only in late Old English did it take on the sense of abstaining from food. The idea seems to be "holding fast" to a rule of abstinence, a usage that the Gothic church appears to have introduced, and which is unique to Gothic among the languages that rendered the Greek and Latin words for fasting.

Synonyms: quick, swift, speedy, rapid, hasty

Antonyms: slow, lethargic, sluggish, unhurried, tardy