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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Fastness \Fast"ness\, noun [AS. f[ae]stnes, fr. f[ae]st fast. See {Fast}, adjective]
1. The state of being fast and firm; firmness; fixedness; security; faithfulness.
All . . . places of fastness [are] laid open. --Sir J. Davies.
2. A fast place; a stronghold; a fortress or fort; a secure retreat; a castle; as, the enemy retired to their fastnesses in the mountains.
3. Conciseness of style. [Obs.] --Ascham.
4. The state of being fast or swift.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
fastness
noun
1: a rate (usually rapid) at which something happens; "the project advanced with gratifying speed" [syn: {speed}, {swiftness}]
2: the quality of being fixed in place [syn: {fixedness}, {fixity}, {fixture}, {secureness}]
3: a strongly fortified defensive structure [syn: {stronghold}]
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Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |