fastness

[ fast-nis, fahst- ]

noun

1. a secure or fortified place; stronghold:

   a mountain fastness.

2. the state of being fixed or firm:

   the fastness of democratic institutions.

3. the state of being rapid.

fastness

/ ˈfɑːstnɪs /

noun

1. a stronghold; fortress
2. the state or quality of being firm or secure
3. the ability of a dye to remain permanent and not run or fade
4. archaic.
   swiftness

Word History and Origins

Origin of fastness¹

before 900; Middle English; Old English fæstnes. See fast ¹, -ness

Word History and Origins

Origin of fastness¹

Old English fæstnes ; see fast ¹

Example Sentences

Ferrell is exactly right as Buddy, who as an infant at an orphanage found his way into Santa’s bag and became the first human to penetrate into the fastness of his North Pole workshop.

From Los Angeles Times

MycoWorks says that its material meets the performance standards of cowhide in durability, color fastness and tensile strength.

From Scientific American

If you assume that fastness is randomly distributed among the globe’s population, then it’s inevitable that, every now and then, the fastest guy from some random nation will be faster than the fastest guys from all the world’s superpowers.

From Slate

The “random distribution of fastness” theory also goes a little ways toward explaining why Jamaica, a small island nation in the Caribbean with a population of 2.9 million—roughly the same population as Kansas—is so consistently dominant at the 100-meter dash.

From Slate

With each description from the world’s best players about the beastliness of Augusta National on Thursday — its firmness, its fastness, its fickle wind — Justin Rose’s round gained more shine as it went along.

From Washington Post