fastness
Americannoun
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a secure or fortified place; stronghold.
a mountain fastness.
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the state of being fixed or firm.
the fastness of democratic institutions.
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the state of being rapid.
noun
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a stronghold; fortress
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the state or quality of being firm or secure
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the ability of a dye to remain permanent and not run or fade
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archaic swiftness
Etymology
Origin of fastness
before 900; Middle English; Old English fæstnes. See fast 1, -ness
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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 • Dec. 9, 2022
MycoWorks says that its material meets the performance standards of cowhide in durability, color fastness and tensile strength.
From Scientific American • Mar. 28, 2022
He’s put in harness and becomes the member of a dogsled team hauling mail to prospectors drawn to the frigid fastness of the Yukon in the hunt for the yellow stuff.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 19, 2020
As I poured, she outlined the reason for the mystery summons that had brought me from my fastness in the Welsh hills.
From Nature • Nov. 5, 2019
‘Here at least you are guarded in the strongest fastness of the Mark,’ said Aragorn.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
