'Holdfast' definitions:

Definition of 'holdfast'

From: WordNet
noun
Restraint that attaches to something or holds something in place [syn: fastener, fastening, holdfast, fixing]

Definition of 'Holdfast'

From: GCIDE
  • Holdfast \Hold"fast`\, n.
  • 1. Something used to secure and hold in place something else, as a long flat-headed nail, a catch a hook, a clinch, a clamp, etc.; hence, a support. "His holdfast was gone." --Bp. Montagu. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. (Bot.) 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. [1913 Webster]