adj 1  :  firmly fixed  2 a  :  having a rapid effect <a medicine>   b  :  allowing for the rapid passage of a gas or liquid <a nipple on a baby bottle>   3  :  resistant to change (as from destructive action) - used chiefly of organisms and in combination with the agent resisted <acid-fast bacteria> 
vi 1  :  to abstain from food  2  :  to eat sparingly or abstain from some foods vt  :  to deny food to <the patient is ed and given a mild hypnotic -Lancet> 
, n 1  :  the practice of fasting  2  :  a time of fasting .
 
 
 
Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.  © 1997-2024.