Word: fasting (noun)

Associations

Fasting is the act of not eating food for a certain period of time. People fast for various reasons, such as health, religious beliefs, or detoxification.

• Example 1: "Many people practice intermittent fasting to improve their health." (Intermittent fasting means alternating between eating and not eating.)
• Example 2: "During Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset." (This is a religious practice where they abstain from food and drink.)
• Example 3: "Some athletes use fasting as a way to enhance their performance." (They believe it helps with energy levels and focus.)

A well-known synonym for fasting is "abstinence." The key difference is that abstinence can refer to not consuming anything (like food or drink) or refraining from certain activities (like smoking), while fasting specifically refers to not eating.

Substitution

Instead of "fasting," you could use:

• "abstaining" (this is more general and can refer to not doing something at all)
• "detoxing" (which often implies a focus on cleansing the body but may not always involve complete food abstinence)
• "restricting" (which means limiting food intake but doesn’t necessarily mean not eating at all)

Deconstruction

The word "fasting" comes from the Old English word "fæstan," which means "to hold firmly" or "to fast." It has roots in various languages, including the German "fasten" and the Latin "fastus," which relates to abstaining from food.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when you might want to fast? What would your reasons be?
• How do you feel about fasting for health versus fasting for religious reasons?
• Have you ever tried fasting? What was your experience like?