fast | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

174 entries found.

late 14c., "a fast hold, clutch, grasp," from gripe (v.). From c. 1600 as "cramp, pain in the bowels" (earlier of pangs of grief, etc., 1540s). Figurative sense of "a complaint" is by 1934.

dine (v.)

c. 1300, dinen, "eat the chief meal of the day, take dinner;" also in a general sense "to eat," from Old French disner "to dine, eat, have a meal" (Modern French dîner), originally "take the first meal of the day," from stem of Gallo-Roman *desjunare "to break one's fast," from Vulgar Latin *disjejunare, from dis- "undo, do the opposite of" (see dis-) + Late Latin jejunare "to fast," from Latin iejunus "fasting, hungry, not partaking of food" (see jejune).

Transitive sense of "give a dinner to" is from late 14c. To dine out "take dinner away from home" is by 1758.

jive (n.)

"empty, misleading talk;" also a style of fast, lively jazz and dance music," 1928, American English, from jive (v.1). Used from 1938 for "New York City African-American slang."

bitt (n.)

nautical, "strong post to which cables are made fast" (usually in plural, bitts), 1590s, of uncertain origin; compare Old Norse biti "crossbeam." Probably somehow related to bit (n.1).

fighter (n.)

Old English feohtere; agent noun from fight (v.). Compare Dutch vechter, German Fechter. Old English had also feohtling in this sense. Meaning "fast military airplane used for combat" is from 1917.

hie (v.)

Old English higian "strive, hasten," originally "to be intent on," from Proto-Germanic *hig- (source also of Middle Dutch higen "to pant," Middle Low German hichen, German heichen), from PIE root *kigh- "fast, violent." Related: Hied; hies; hieing.

flibbertigibbet (n.)

1540s, "chattering gossip, flighty woman," probably a nonsense word meant to sound like fast talking; as the name of a devil or fiend it dates from c. 1600 (together with Frateretto, Hoberdidance, Tocobatto). OED lists 15 spellings and thinks flibbergib is the original.

grapple (v.)

1520s, "seize and hold fast," originally in reference to a ship, by means of a grapple, from grapple (n.). Extended sense of "battle, struggle in close contact" (usually with with) is from 1580s of persons, 1630s of immaterial things. Related: Grappled; grappling. Grappling hook is from 1620s.

hitch (n.)

1660s, "a limp or hobble;" 1670s, "an abrupt movement," from hitch (v.). Meaning "a means by which a rope is made fast" is from 1769, nautical. The sense of "obstruction" (usually unforeseen and temporary) is first recorded 1748; military sense of "enlistment" is from 1835.

rack (n.2)

type of gait of a horse, between a trot and a gallop or canter, 1580s, from rack (v.) "move with a fast, lively gait" (1520s, implied in racking), which is of unknown origin; perhaps from French racquassure "racking of a horse in his pace," itself of unknown origin. Or perhaps a variant of rock (v.1).

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