Emily Dickinson Lexicon

FAST'LY, adv.

Firmly; surely.

FAST'NESS, a. [Sax. fæstenesse; from fast.]

1. The state of being fast and firm; firm adherence.
2. Strength; security. The places of fastness are laid open. Davies.
3. A strong hold; a fortress or fort; a place fortified; a castle. The enemy retired to their fastnesses.
4. Closeness; conciseness of style. [Not used.] Ascham.

FAST-RE-CE'DING, a.

Receding rapidly. Wordsworth.

FAST-SINK-ING, a.

Rapidly sinking.

FAS'TU-OUS, a. [L. fastuosus, from fastus, haughtiness.]

Proud; haughty; disdainful. Barrow.

FAT, a. [Sax. fæt, fett; G. fett; D. vet; Sw. fet; Dan. feed; Basque, betea.]

1. Fleshy; plump; corpulent; abounding with an oily concrete substance, as an animal body; the contrary to lean; as, a fat man; a fat ox.
2. Coarse; gross. Nay, added fat pollutions of our own. Dryden.
3. Dull; heavy; stupid; unteachable. Make the heart of this people fat. Is. vi.
4. Rich; wealthy; affluent. These are terrible alarms to persons grown fat and wealthy. South.
5. Rich; producing a large income; as, a fat benefice.
6. Rich; fertile; as, a fat soil: or rich; nourishing; as, fat pasture.
7. Abounding in spiritual grace and comfort. They (the righteous) shall be fat and flourishing. Ps. xcii.

FAT, n.¹

1. An oily concrete substance, deposited in the cells of the adipose or cellular membrane of animal bodies. In most parts of the body, the fat lies immediately under the skin. Fat is of various degrees of consistence, as in tallow, lard and oil. It has been recently ascertained to consist of two substances, stearine and elaine, the former of which is solid, the latter liquid, at common temperatures, and on the different proportions of which its degree of consistence depends. Encyc. Brande.
2. The best or richest part of a thing. Abel brought of the fat of his flock. Gen. iv.

FAT, or VAT, n.² [Sax. fæt, fat, fet; D. vat; G. fass; Sw. fat; Dan. fad. It seems to be connected with D. vatten, G. fassen, Sw. fatta, Dan. fatter, to hold. Qu. Gr. πιθος.]

A large tub cistern or vessel used for various purposes, as by brewers to run their wort in, by tanners for holding their bark and hides, &c. It is also a wooden vessel containing a quarter or eight bushels of grain, and a pan for containing water in salt-works, as a vessel for wine, &c. The fats shall overflow with wine and oil. Joel ii.

FAT, n.³

A measure of capacity, but indefinite.

FAT, v.i.

To grow fat, plump and fleshy. An old ox fats as well, and is as good, as a young one. Mortimer.

FAT, v.t.

To make fat; to fatten; to make plump and fleshy with abundant food; as, to fat fowls or sheep. Locke. Shak.

FA'TAL, a. [L. fatalis. See Fate.]

1. Proceeding from fate or destiny; necessary; inevitable. These things are fatal and necessary. Tillotson.
2. Appointed by fate or destiny. It was fatal to the king to fight for his money. Bacon. [In the foregoing sense the word is now little used.]
3. Causing death or destruction; deadly; mortal; as, a fatal wound; a fatal disease.
4. Destructive; calamitous; as, a fatal day; a fatal event.

FA'TAL-ISM, n.

The doctrine that all things are subject to fate, or that they take place by inevitable necessity. Rush.

FA'TAL-IST, n.

One who maintains that all things happen by inevitable necesssity. Watts.

FA-TAL'I-TY, n. [Fr. fatalité, from fate.]

1. A fixed unalterable course of things, independent of God or any controlling cause; an invincible necessity existing in things themselves; a doctrine of the Stoics. South.
2. Decree of fate. King Charles.
3. Tendency to danger, or to some great hazardous event. Brown.
4. Mortality. Med. Repos.

FA'TAL-LY, adv.

1. By a decree of fate or destiny; by inevitable necessity or determination. Bentley.
2. Mortally; destructively; in death or ruin. This encounter ended fatally. The prince was fatally deceived.

FA'TAL-NESS, n.

Invincible necessity.

FA'TA-MOR-GA'NA, n. [It.]

An extraordinary atmospheric refraction, by which objects below the horizon become visible; looming.

FAT'BRAIN-ED, a.

Dull of apprehension. Shak.

FATE, n. [L. fatum, from for, fari, to speak, whence fatus.]

1. Primarily, a decree or word pronounced by God, or a fixed sentence by which the order of things is prescribed. Hence, inevitable necessity; destiny depending on a superior cause and uncontrollable. According to the Stoics, every event is determined by fate. Necessity or chance / Approach not me; and what I will is fate. Milton.
2. Event predetermined; lot; destiny. It is our fate to meet with disappointments. It is the fate of mortals. Tell me what fates attend the Duke Suffolk. Shak.
3. Final event; death; destruction. Yet still he chose the longest way to fate. Dryden. The whizzing arrow sings, / And bears thy fate, Antinous, on its wings. Pope.
4. Cause of death. Dryden calls an arrow a feathered fate. Divine fate, the order or determination of God; providence. Encyc.

FAT-ED, a.

1. Decreed by fate; doomed; destined. He was fated to rule over a factious people.
2. Modeled or regulated by fate. Her awkward love indeed was oddly fated. Prior.
3. Endued with any quality by fate. Dryden.
4. Invested with the power of fatal determination. The fatal sky / Gives us free scope. Shak. [The two last senses are hardly legitimate.]

FATE-FUL, a.

Bearing fatal power; producing fatal events. The fateful steel. J. Barlow.

FATE'FUL-LY, adv.

In a fateful manner.

FATE'FUL-NESS, n.

State of being fateful.

FATES, n. [plur.]

In mythology, the destinies or parcæ; goddesses supposed to preside over the birth and life of men. They were three in number, Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos. Lempriere.