| iodine-fast | Denoting hyperthyroidism unresponsive to iodine therapy, which develops frequently in most cases so treated. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| fast | 1. Firmly fixed; closely adhering; made firm; not loose, unstable, or easily moved; immovable; as, to make fast the door. "There is an order that keeps things fast." (Burke) 2. Firm against attack; fortified by nature or art; impregnable; strong. "Outlaws . . . Lurking in woods and fast places." (Spenser) 3. Firm in adherence; steadfast; not easily separated or alienated; faithful; as, a fast friend. 4. Permanent; not liable to fade by exposure to air or by washing; durable; lasting; as, fast colours. 5. Tenacious; retentive. "Roses, damask and red, are fast flowers of their smells." (Bacon) 6. Not easily disturbed or broken; deep; sound. "All this while in a most fast sleep." (Shak) 7. Moving rapidly; quick in mition; rapid; swift; as, a fast horse. 8. Given to pleasure seeking; disregardful of restraint; reckless; wild; dissipated; dissolute; as, a fast man; a fast liver. Fast and loose, now cohering, now disjoined; inconstant, especially. In the phrases to play at fast and loose, to play fast and loose, to act with giddy or reckless inconstancy or in a tricky manner; to say one thing and do another "Play fast and loose with faith." . Fast and loose pulleys, to make secure; to fasten firmly, as a vessel, a rope, or a door. Origin: OE, firm, strong, not loose, AS. Fst; akin to OS. Fast, D. Vast, OHG. Fasti, festi, G. Fest, Isel. Fastr, Sw. & Dan. Fast, and perh. To E. Fetter. The sense swift comes from the idea of keeping close to what is pursued; a Scandinavian use. Cf. Fast, adv, Fast, v, Avast. 1. In a fast, fixed, or firmly established manner; fixedly; firmly; immovably. "We will bind thee fast." (Judg. Xv. 13) 2. In a fast or rapid manner; quickly; swiftly; extravagantly; wildly; as, to run fast; to live fast. Fast by, or Fast beside, close or near to; near at hand. "He, after Eve seduced, unminded slunk Into the wood fast by." (Milton) "Fast by the throne obsequious Fame resides." (Pope) Origin: OE. Faste firmly, strongly, quickly, AS. Faste. See Fast. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| fast component | <molecular biology> A segment of eukaryotic DNA consisting of highly-repeated nucleotide sequences which, when the entire duplex DNA molecule is denatured (the double-stranded helix comes apart and becomes single strands) and then allowed to renature (the complementary single strands come together to form a helix), will be the first segment to renature. (09 Oct 1997) |
| fast green FCF | An acid arylmethane dye widely used in histology and cytology and less subject to fading than light green FCF which it has replaced in many procedures; used as a quantitative cytochemical stain for histones at alkaline pH after acid extraction of DNA, and also in electrophoresis as a protein stain. (05 Mar 2000) |
| fast neutron | <physics> Neutron with energy greater than roughly 100,000 electron volts (100 keV). Distinguished from slow or thermal neutrons. (09 Oct 1997) |
| fast neutrons | Neutrons, the energy of which exceeds some arbitrary level, usually around one million electron volts. (12 Dec 1998) |
| fast pyrolysis | Thermal conversion of biomass by rapid heating to between 450> To 600>C in the absence of oxygen. (05 Dec 1998) |
| fast ray | <microscopy> The fast ray or fast component for a crystal or fibre corresponds to the lower refractive index. (05 Aug 1998) |
| fast smear | A cytologic smear containing material from the vaginal pool and pancervical scrapings, mixed and prepared on one microscopic slide, smeared, and fixed immediately; used principally for routine screening of ovaries, endometrium, cervix, vagina, and hormonal states. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Kluver-Barrera Luxol fast blue stain | <technique> In combination with cresyl violet, a stain useful for demonstrating myelin and Nissl substance. (05 Mar 2000) |
| liquid-metal fast-breeder reactor | <physics> Fission breeder reactor concept using liquid-metal coolant and breeding additional fuel off fast neutrons. See: breeder reactor. (09 Oct 1997) |
| Luxol fast blue | Name for a group of closely related copper phthalocyanin dyes used as stains (with PAS, PTAH, haematoxylin, silver nitrate, etc.) for myelin in nerve fibres. (05 Mar 2000) |