Where does “æfæst” come from?

æfæst (Old English) comes from Old English fæst, from Proto-West Germanic fast, from Proto-Germanic fastuz — fixed, firm, secure.

æfæst (Old English): firm in observing the law; religious; pious

Definitions

  1. firm in observing the law; religious; pious

Ancestry of “æfæst”, step by step

æfæst traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English fæst

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishfæstfirm, stable; constant
2Proto-West Germanicfastfixed, fast
3Proto-Germanicfastuzfixed, firm, secure

via Old English ǣ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishǣmarriage; life; law, marriage
Every word from Proto-Germanic fastuz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic fast →Every word from Old English fæst →