Klryz
Pronunciation guide: IPA symbols, stress and word endings

Vowels

iːseeɪsite / ɛbedæcat
ɑːfatherɒhot (UK)ɔːlawʊput
uːtooʌcupɜːbirdəabout
eɪdayaɪmyɔɪboyaʊnow
əʊ / oʊgo (UK / US)ɪəneareəhairʊətour

Consonants that look unusual

θthinðthisʃsheʒmeasure
tʃchurchdʒjudgeŋsingjyes

p b t d k g f v s z h m n l r w sound as in ordinary English spelling.

Marks

  • ˈ main stress, before the stressed syllable: /ˈwɔːtə/ water · ˌ lighter (secondary) stress: /ˌʌndəˈstænd/ understand
  • ː a long vowel · (r) an r said only in accents that pronounce it (most American, Scottish, Irish)

Common word endings

  • -s / -es (plurals; he/she form of verbs): /s/ after voiceless sounds (cats), /z/ after voiced (dogs), /ɪz/ after s, z, sh, ch, j sounds (buses, watches). Spelling: -es after s, x, z, ch, sh; consonant + y → -ies (city → cities).
  • -ed (past): /t/ after voiceless sounds (walked), /d/ after voiced (played), /ɪd/ after t or d (wanted). Spelling: love → loved, stop → stopped, carry → carried.
  • -ing: make → making, run → running, see → seeing.
  • Irregular: go, went, gone · be, was, been · see, saw, seen · man → men · child → children · mouse → mice.
  • Older (King James) forms: -eth = -s (he loveth = he loves) · -est with “thou” (thou lovest) · spake = spoke.

English Dictionary · 107,383 entries · Sources & licences

fastness

UK /ˈfɑːs(t)nəs/ · US /ˈfæs(t)nəs/ noun

Forms fastnesses

  1. noun The quality or state of being strongly attached; firmness, secureness, tenacity.
  2. noun (specifically) The ability of a dye to withstand fading.
  3. noun The quality or state of moving quickly; quickness, rapidity, swiftness.
  4. noun The quality or state of having an extravagant lifestyle or immoral habits.
  5. noun (archaic) Of a fortress or other place: the quality or state of being secure from access or attack; safety, security.
  6. noun (obsolete) The quality or state of being firm, hard, or solid; firmness, hardness, solidity.
  7. noun (also figuratively) A fortified or secure place; a fortress, a stronghold.
  8. noun (obsolete except UK, regional) Something used to fasten or tie; a fastener or fastening.

Synonyms

speed swiftness fixedness fixity fixture secureness stronghold

Etymology

From Middle English fastnes, fastnesse (“immovableness, stability; firmness, solidness; secure attachment; constancy; obstinacy; something giving firmness or strength; of sleep: soundness; of a wound: healing; assurance, confirmation”) [and other forms], from Old English fæstnes (“fastness, firmness, stability; resolution; tenacity; vigour; firmament; fortification”) [and other forms], from fæst (“firm, stable; constant”) (from Proto-Germanic *fastuz (“firm, fixed; secure”); see further at that entry) + -nes (suffix forming abstract nouns denoting a quality or state). The English word may be analysed as fast + -ness.

Webster’s 1913

  1. noun The state of being fast and firm; firmness; fixedness; security; faithfulness.
  2. noun A fast place; a stronghold; a fortress or fort; a secure retreat; a castle; as, the enemy retired to their fastnesses in the mountains.

Etymology [AS. fæstnes, fr. fæst fast. See Fast, a.]

Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “fastness”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details

Sanskrit

Sanskrit dictionary entries whose meaning includes “fastness” (best matches first).