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fastness

 - 4 dictionary results

fast⋅ness

  [fast-nis, fahst-]
Use fastness in a Sentence
–noun
1. a secure or fortified place; stronghold: a mountain fastness.
2. the state of being fixed or firm: the fastness of democratic institutions.
3. the state of being rapid.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE fæstnes. See fast 1 , -ness
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To fastness
fast·ness   (fāst'nĭs)   
n.  

  1. The condition or quality of being fast, especially:

    1. Firmness; security.

    2. Rapidity; swiftness.

    3. A secure or fortified place; a stronghold.

    4. A remote, secret place.

  2. The quality or condition of color retention; colorfastness.

    1. A secure or fortified place; a stronghold.

    2. A remote, secret place.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

fastness 
"a place not easily forced, a stronghold," late O.E., from fast (adj.) in its older sense of "firm, fixed in place" + -ness.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: fast·ness
Pronunciation: 'fas(t)-n&s
Function: noun
: resistance (as of an organism) to the action of a usually toxic substancefastness developed by a strain of tubercule bacillus>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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