fasten
UK /ˈfɑːsn̩/ · US /ˈfæsn̩/ verb
Forms fastens fastening fastened
- verb (ambitransitive) To attach or connect in a secure manner. “The sailor fastened the boat to the dock with a half-hitch.”
- verb To cause to take close effect; to make to tell; to land. “to fasten a blow”
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English fastenen, from Old English fæstnian, from Proto-West Germanic *fastinōn (“to secure, fasten”). Equivalent to fast + -en.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To fix firmly; to make fast; to secure, as by a knot, lock, bolt, etc.; as, to fasten a chain to the feet; to fasten a door or window.
- verb To cause to hold together or to something else; to attach or unite firmly; to cause to cleave to something , or to cleave together, by any means; as, to fasten boards together with nails or cords; to fasten anything in our thoughts.
- verb To fix one's self; to take firm hold; to clinch; to cling.
Etymology [AS. fæstnian; akin to OHG. festinon. See Fast, a.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “fasten”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details