Confined to bed because of illness or injury; unable to get out of bed.
From 'bed' + 'fast' (meaning fixed or firmly held in place). This compound word dates back to Middle English and originally meant literally stuck or attached to a bed, later used figuratively for bedridden people.
This word shows how 'fast' didn't always mean quick—in Old English, 'fast' meant 'firmly fixed,' which is why we still say things are 'held fast' or 'fastened.'
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