What does holdfast mean?

Definitions for holdfast
ˈhoʊldˌfæst, -ˌfɑsthold·fast

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word holdfast.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. fastener, fastening, holdfast, fixingnoun

    restraint that attaches to something or holds something in place

Wiktionary

  1. holdfastnoun

    Something to or by which an object can be securely fastened.

  2. holdfastnoun

    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. holdfastnoun

    Actinomycosis.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Holdfastnoun

    Any thing which takes hold; a catch; a hook.

    Etymology: hold and fast.

    The several sorts of teeth are furnished with holdfasts suitable to the stress that they are put to. John Ray, on the Creation.

ChatGPT

  1. holdfast

    A holdfast is a root-like structure that anchors an organism, especially aquatic varieties such as seaweed and other algae, to a surface. It is commonly found in various marine and freshwater environments. However, in a broader sense, it can refer to any device or equipment used to secure or hold something firmly in place.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Holdfastnoun

    something used to secure and hold in place something else, as a long fiat-headed nail, a catch a hook, a clinch, a clamp, etc.; hence, a support

  2. Holdfastnoun

    a conical or branching body, by which a seaweed is attached to its support, and differing from a root in that it is not specially absorbent of moisture

Wikidata

  1. Holdfast

    A holdfast is a root-like structure that anchors aquatic sessile organisms, such as seaweed, other sessile algae, stalked crinoids, benthic cnidarians, and sponges, to the substrate. Holdfasts vary in shape and form depending on both the species and the substrate type. The holdfasts of organisms that live in muddy substrates often have complex tangles of root-like growths, while those of organisms that live in sandy substrates are bulb-like and very flexible, such as the holdfast of sea pens, allowing the organism to pull the entire body into the substrate when the holdfast is contracted. The holdfasts of organisms that live on smooth surfaces have the base of the holdfast literally glued to the surface. The organism derives no nutrients from this intimate contact with the substrate, primarily because if the organism attempted to extract nutrients enzymatically from the substrate, the substrate would be eroded away, thereby increasing the risk of falling away from the substrate.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of holdfast in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of holdfast in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Popularity rank by frequency of use

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Translations for holdfast

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"holdfast." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/holdfast>.

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