Where does “fast” come from?
Fast comes from Old English fæst, from Proto-Germanic fastuz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots related to holding or grasping.
fast (English): Firmly or securely fixed in place; stable; Firm...
Definitions
- Firmly or securely fixed in place; stable; Firm...
Ancestry of “fast”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | fast | fast quickly |
| 2 | Old English | fæste | firmly, fastly, tightly |
| 3 | Old English | -e | forming adverbs from adjectives; -ly |
| 4 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 5 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |