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Added 7 October 2026

fast

/fɑːst/ adjective

In Latin: celer, celox, vēlōx Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about fast at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Firmly or securely fixed in place; stable. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
That rope is dangerously loose. Make it fast!
Firm against attack; fortified by nature or art; impregnable; strong.
Steadfast, with unwavering feeling. (Now mostly in set phrases like fast friend(s).)

noun

A train that calls at only some stations it passes between its origin and destination, typically just the principal stations.

interjection

Ellipsis of stand fast, a warning not to pass between the arrow and the target.

adverb

In a firm or secure manner, securely; in such a way as not to be moved; safe, sound .
Hold this rope as fast as you can.
Deeply or soundly .
The princess was sleeping fast, and her servants were fast asleep too.
Immediately following in place or time; close, very near .
The horsemen came fast on our heels.

Origin

From Middle English fast, fest, from Old English fæst (“firm, secure”), from Proto-West Germanic *fast, from Proto-Germanic *fastuz; see it for cognates and further etymology. The development of “rapid” from an original sense of “secure” apparently happened first in the adverb and then transferred to the adjective; compare hard in expressions like “to run hard”. The original sense of “secure, firm” is now slightly archaic, but retained in the related fasten (“make secure”). Also compare close meaning change from Latin rapiō (“to snatch”) to Latin rapidus (“rapid, quick”), from Irish sciob (“to snatch”) to Irish sciobtha (“quick”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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