| Part of Speech | Definition | |
| Noun | 1. Hold; grasp; custody; power of confining or keeping.[Websters]
2. Contract; specifically, espousal.[Websters] 3. Strong; steadfast.[Websters]. | |
| Verb | 1. To pledge; to bind; to betroth by joining hands, in order to cohabitation, before the celebration of marriage.[Websters] 2. Base verb from the following inflections: handfasting, handfasted, handfasts, handfaster, handfasters, handfastingly and hfastedly.[Eve - graph theoretic] | |
| Adjective | 1. Fast by contract; betrothed by joining hands.[Websters]
2. Rarely used base adjective of the adverb handfastly.[Eve - graph theoretic] | |
| Adverb Form (handfastly) | 1. In a handfast or publicly pledged manner.[Websters]. 2. Virtually never used adverbial inflection of the rarely used adjective handfast.[Eve - graph theoretic] | |
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), compiled from various sources, under license. | Top | |
Date "HANDFAST" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1828. (references) |
Specialty Definition: HANDFAST
| Domain | Definition | ||
| Noah Webster | 1: [Noun] Hold; custody; power of confining or keeping.. | 2: [Adjective] Fast by contract; firm.. Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary. | |
| Wiktionary | 1: [Etymology 1] (obsolete) contract, agreement, covenant ; specifically betrothal, espousal. (references) | 2: [Etymology 1] (obsolete) Fast by contract; betrothed by joining hands. (1820) When we are handfasted, as we term it, we are man and wife for a year and a day; that space gone by, each may choose another mate, or, at their pleasure, may call the priest to marry them for life; and this we call handfasting. - Sir Walter Scott, The Monastery. (references) | 3: [Etymology 1] (obsolete) hold, grasp; custody, power of confining or keeping. (1820) When we are handfasted, as we term it, we are man and wife for a year and a day; that space gone by, each may choose another mate, or, at their pleasure, may call the priest to marry them for life; and this we call handfasting. - Sir Walter Scott, The Monastery. (references) | 4: [Etymology 1] (transitive) To pledge; to bind; to betroth by joining hands, in order to allow cohabitation, before the celebration of marriage; to marry provisionally. (1820) When we are handfasted, as we term it, we are man and wife for a year and a day; that space gone by, each may choose another mate, or, at their pleasure, may call the priest to marry them for life; and this we call handfasting. - Sir Walter Scott, The Monastery. (references) | 5: [Etymology 2] (rare) Strong; steadfast. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | Top | ||
