To abstain from food, To eat very little or abstain from certain foods, especially as a religious discipline, adjective_ Accomplished in relatively little time, Acquired quickly with little effort and sometimes unscrupulously, Indicating a time somewhat ahead of the actual time, adverb_ In a dissipated, immoderate way, In quick succession, noun_ The act or practice of abstaining from or eating very little food, A period of such abstention or self-denial