Word.ws English Dictionary

holdfasts

holdfasts is the plural of holdfast.

Meaning of holdfast

Noun

holdfast (plural holdfasts)

  1. Something to or by which an object can be securely fastened.
    • 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.1658, Sir Thomas Browne, The Garden of Cyrus, Folio Society, published 2007, page 198
  2. A root-like structure that anchors aquatic sessile organisms, such as seaweed, other sessile algae, stalked crinoids, benthic cnidarians, and sponges, to the substrate.
  3. (archaic) Actinomycosis.
  4. The aspect of a character that experiences destructive temptation.
    • Alienation: A stage on the downside of the passage wherein the holdfast and the antihero take actions which bring about a disintegration of personality.2006, James Bonnet, Stealing Fire from the Gods: The Complete Guide to Story for Writers and Filmmakers

See all 5 meanings of holdfast

Questions about holdfasts

What is holdfasts the plural of?
Holdfasts is the plural of holdfast.

Words near holdfasts in the dictionary

  1. holdest
  2. holdeth
  3. holdfast
  4. Holdfast Bay
  5. holdfastness
  6. holdfasts
  7. holdin'
  8. holding
  9. holding a candle
  10. holding a candle for
  11. holding a grudge

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: holdfasts (page history and authors); holdfast (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “holdfasts.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/holdfasts. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.