Fasten \Fas"ten\, v. i. To fix one's self; to take firm hold; to clinch; to cling.
A horse leech will hardly fasten on a fish. --Sir T. Browne.
Fasten \Fas"ten\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Fastened}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Fastening}.] [AS. f[ae]stnian; akin to OHG. festin[=o]n. See {Fast}, a.] 1. To fix firmly; to make fast; to secure, as by a knot, lock, bolt, etc.; as, to fasten a chain to the feet; to fasten a door or window.
2. To cause to hold together or to something else; to attach or unite firmly; to cause to cleave to something, or to cleave together, by any means; as, to fasten boards together with nails or cords; to fasten anything in our thoughts.
The words Whig and Tory have been pressed to the service of many successions of parties, with very different ideas fastened to them. --Swift.
3. To cause to take close effect; to make to tell; to lay on; as, to fasten a blow. [Obs.] --Dryden.
If I can fasten but one cup upon him. --Shak.
{To fasten a charge upon} or {To fasten a crime upon}, to make his guilt certain, or so probable as to be generally believed.
{To fasten one's eyes upon}, to look upon steadily without cessation. --Acts iii. 4.
Syn: To fix; cement; stick; link; affix; annex.
But few could resist, for example, the Batiste cotton pyjamas from Budd on London's Piccadilly Arcade, in striking coral or 'men's pink', with mother of pearl buttons and a button under the revers to fasten against the cold.
The base of each point was notched or grooved to make it easier to fasten to a spear shaft.
One once brought him to tears, a fellow named Allen who came in so cold he couldn't fasten his jacket.
But many of the automatic belt systems, such as the one in Mrs. Ham's car, still require the occupant to manually fasten the lap belt.