*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of avast

Probably borrowed from Dutch hou vast, houd vast (“hold fast!”), from houd (imperative of houden, “to hold”) + vast (“fast, firm, tight”). Doublet of hold fast.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
intj

Hold fast! Cease! Stop! Desist! Wait! · Listen! Pay attention!

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Probably borrowed from Dutch hou vast, houd vast (“hold fast!”), from houd (imperative of houden, “to hold”) + vast (“fast, firm, tight”). Doublet of hold fast.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*ḱel-",
        "4": "*peh₂ǵ-",
        "id1": "cover"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nl",
        "3": "hou vast"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch hou vast"
    },
    {
      "name": "lg",
      "args": {
        "1": "imperative"
      },
      "expansion": "imperative"
    },
    {
      "name": "m-g",
      "args": {
        "1": "to hold"
      },
      "expansion": "“to hold”"
    },
    {
      "name": "dbt",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hold fast"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of hold fast"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "hou vast",
      "hou vast#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "houd vast",
      "houd vast#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "houd",
      "houd#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "houden",
      "houden#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "vast",
      "vast#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "hold fast",
      "hold fast#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "intj",
      "glosses": [
        "Hold fast! Cease! Stop! Desist! Wait!",
        "Listen! Pay attention!"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "cd35f8d1b6183aa32ec90c70c6276fc60c575eb98a537d44491a589e008f69dd",
      "rawRecordSha256": "09dea7957b973910f3bcffe187e7e89c0d38b96f68048610196f09e15d64e8bd",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 204044
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for avast →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YXZhc3Q