holdfast

See also: Holdfast

English

a workbench holdfast

Etymology

hold +‎ fast

Noun

holdfast (plural holdfasts)

1. Something to or by which an object can be securely fastened.
   • 1658, Sir Thomas Browne, The Garden of Cyrus, Folio Society, published 2007, page 198:

     And Ivy divided from the root, we have observed to live some years, by the cirrous parts commonly conceived but as tentacles and holdfasts unto it.

2. (biology) A root-like structure that anchors aquatic sessile organisms, such as seaweed, other sessile algae, stalked crinoids, benthic cnidarians, and sponges, to the substrate.

   Hyponym: hapteron

3. (archaic, medicine) Actinomycosis.
4. The aspect of a character that experiences destructive temptation.
   • 2006, James Bonnet, Stealing Fire from the Gods: The Complete Guide to Story for Writers and Filmmakers:

     Alienation: A stage on the downside of the passage wherein the holdfast and the antihero take actions which bring about a disintegration of personality.

Derived terms

• Holdfast Bay

Translations

Something to or by which an object can be securely fastened

• Bulgarian: скоба (bg) f (skoba), стяга (bg) f (stjaga)

See also

• holdfast on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Category:holdfast on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons