*fast

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *fast "fixed, fast" for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and Wiktionary has the same form.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *fastuz (“firm, fixed”),^[2][3] which Ringe and Taylor write *fastaz, Kroonen *fastu- and Heidermanns *fasta-.^[4][3][5] Old English fæst and Old Frisian fest show the fronting of the vowel that Ringe and Taylor illustrate with this word, while Old Saxon and Old High German keep fast.^[4]

Morphology

An adjective.^[1] EWA notes that a ja-stem is found only in High and Low German, Old High German festi and a single Old Saxon festi, while all the other records are a-stems, perhaps originally u-stems;^[6] Old High German fast is an a-stem found only in a few Middle Franconian sources.^[6] Wiktionary reconstructs *fastī as a variant of *fast, formed with the adjective suffix *-ī.^[7]

Evidence

The adjective is attested as Old English fæst, Old Frisian fest, Old Saxon fast and Old High German fast,^[1] and Old Dutch fast (“fortified”) glosses Latin munitus in the Old Low Franconian psalms of the 9th century.^[8] ONW has it also in Williram's commentary of about 1100.^[9] It is common Germanic, but in Gothic it is found only indirectly.^[5][6]

Competing analyses

The stem class of the Proto-Germanic adjective is disputed.^[6] Kroonen reconstructs a u-stem, remodelled as a ja-stem in West Germanic, and connects it with Old Armenian հաստ (hast).^[3] Ringe and Taylor reconstruct an a-stem *fastaz.^[1][4] Heidermanns denies that the East Norse form ⟨fæster⟩ "promised" is evidence for a u-stem, since it is the past participle of a verb.^[5] EWA finds the ja-stem only in High and Low German, and the a-stem everywhere else.^[6]

Meanings

1. fixed, fast^[1][2]
2. firm^[4]

Old English also used the adjective for "strong, secure, constant",^[10] Old Frisian for "reliable" and "honourable",^[11] and Old Saxon for "steadfast, unshakeable" and "fettered".^[12]

Derivatives

• *fastinōn "to fasten securely, to make fast": Old English fæstnian, Old Frisian festnia, Old Saxon fastnon, Old High German festinōn.^[1]
• *fastijan "to fasten", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[13] Old English has fæstan (“to fasten, to entrust”) and Old Saxon festian (“to fasten”).^[14][15]
• *fastēn "to fast", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[16] Heidermanns reports that Seebold separates the verb for "to fast" entirely from the adjective.^[5]
• Compounds in *-fast that Wiktionary reconstructs from Old English and Old Saxon: *sanþafast "honest, true", *wārafast "faithful" and *legrafast "ill";^[17][18][19] Köbler lists Old Saxon compounds with ⟨legar-⟩, ⟨sōth-⟩ and ⟨wār-⟩.^[12]

Reflexes

• Old English: fæst (“firm, strong, secure, constant”)^[10]
• Old Frisian: fest (“firm, secure, reliable”)^[11]
• Old Saxon: fast (“firm, steadfast, secure”)^[12]
• Old Dutch: fast (“firm, fortified”)^[9][8]
• Old High German: festi (“firm, strong, fortified, secure”)^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 131
2. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *fast
3. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 131
4. ^ a b c d Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 147
5. ^ a b c d Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. 200
6. ^ a b c d e f Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. s.v. festi¹
7. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *fastī
8. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. fast
9. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. fast
10. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. fæst
11. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. fest
12. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. fast
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *fastijan
14. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. fæstan
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. fėstian
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *fastēn
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sanþafast
18. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *wārafast
19. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *legrafast