holdfast

[ hohld-fast, -fahst ]

noun

1. something used to hold or secure a thing in place; a catch, hook, clamp, etc.
2. Botany, Mycology. any of several rootlike or suckerlike organs or parts serving for attachment.

holdfast

/ ˈhəʊldˌfɑːst /

noun

1. 1. the act of gripping strongly
   2. such a grip
2. any device used to secure an object, such as a hook, clamp, etc
3. the organ of attachment of a seaweed or related plant

Word History and Origins

Origin of holdfast¹

First recorded in 1550–60; noun use of verb phrase hold fast

Example Sentences

He also analyzed oxygen isotope levels in the bivalve shells to determine that the holdfasts lived in slightly warmer water than today, at the upper range of temperatures found in modern kelp forests.

From Science Daily

Looking to nature for inspiration, the McGill-led research zeroed in on the marine mussel byssus, a fibrous holdfast, which these bivalve mollusks use to anchor themselves in seashore habitats.

From Science Daily

They are available in 10 designs — with names like “kelp holdfast” and “sponge fingers.”

From Washington Post

They twirl together with their chosen female under the water, changing colors and linking tails as they pirouette around a shared holdfast.

From Science Magazine

Imagine, if you will, that instead of forming a red, burning itchy patch on your skin, pathogenic human skin fungi sank a nutrient-absorbing holdfast into your flesh and then sprouted an ornate, club-like structure.

From Scientific American