Fastin

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To attach one thing firmly to another so that it cannot easily come loose or move about
2. To make something secure by tying, buckling, or otherwise holding it fixed in place
3. To join or hold objects together tightly so that they remain firmly in position

Etymology: "Fastin" is most likely a Scots and northern English spelling of "fasting," the Old English "fæsting" from "fæstan," to abstain from food. In Scotland the word lived on in "Fastern's E'en," the old name for Shrove Tuesday, the eve before the Lenten fast began. Here the "-ern" in "Fastern" is the same "fasten" sound found in the shape "fastin," which is probably why Scots writers spelled it so. The surviving sense is about abstaining, not about fastening, though the two words are not related: "fasten" comes from "fæst," meaning firm, and only looks similar. I am less certain how common "fastin" was as a standalone spelling, so treat that detail as a likely rather than documented pattern.