Where does “holdfast” come from?
holdfast (English) comes from English fast, from Middle English fast, from Old English fæste, from Old English -e, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz — adjectival suffix.
holdfast (English): Something to or by which an object can be...
Definitions
- Something to or by which an object can be...
Ancestry of “holdfast”, step by step
holdfast traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English fast
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | fast | Firmly or securely fixed in place; stable; Firm... |
| 2 | Middle English | fast | fast quickly |
| 3 | Old English | fæste | firmly, fastly, tightly |
| 4 | Old English | -e | forming adverbs from adjectives; -ly |
| 5 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 6 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 7 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |
via English hold
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hold | To grasp or grip; To contain or store; "To... |
| 2 | English | hole | A hollow place or cavity; an excavation; a pit;... |
| 3 | Middle English | hole | healthy; safe; whole, complete, full |
| 4 | Old English | hol | a hole, a hollow; calumny; slander |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | hol | hollow; hole |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hulą | a hollow; depression; hole |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | hulaz | hollow |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kuH- | — |