Where does “holdfastness” come from?
holdfastness (English) comes from English holdfast, 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- — adjectival suffix.
holdfastness (English): The ability to serve as a secure basis for attachment
Definitions
- The ability to serve as a secure basis for attachment
Ancestry of “holdfastness”, step by step
holdfastness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English holdfast
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | holdfast | Something to or by which an object can be... |
| 2 | English | fast | Firmly or securely fixed in place; stable; Firm... |
| 3 | Middle English | fast | fast quickly |
| 4 | Old English | fæste | firmly, fastly, tightly |
| 5 | Old English | -e | forming adverbs from adjectives; -ly |
| 6 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 7 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 8 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |