# fasten

Pronunciation: US say "FA-suhn" /ˈfæsn̩/; UK say "FAH-suhn" /ˈfɑːsn̩/

## Verb

1. To attach or join one thing to another so that it stays securely in place.
   - Simple: To join two things together tightly so they stay in place.
   - _Workers fasten the steel beams together with heavy bolts._
   - _He fastened the gate latch to keep the dog inside._
2. To make something, such as a blow, land squarely on someone and take full effect.
   - Simple: To make something, like a punch, land on someone and really have an effect.
   - _The fencer waited for an opening to fasten a decisive thrust._
   - _Before the bouncers arrived, he fastened two hard punches on the man who had shoved him._

## Origin

From Middle English fastenen, from Old English fæstnian, from Proto-West Germanic *fastinōn ("to secure, fasten"). It is equivalent to 'fast' plus the suffix '-en'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/fasten (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).