The Greek noun asitia (ἀσιτία) means "fasting, abstinence from food" — from the alpha-privative a- and sitos (grain, food). It denotes the state of going without food, whether voluntarily (religious fasting) or involuntarily (lack of food). The word appears only once in the New Testament.
In Acts 27:21, as Paul's ship is in crisis during the Mediterranean storm, Luke records: "After they had gone a long time without food (asitias), Paul stood up before them and said: 'Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss.'" The fasting here was involuntary — the crew could not eat due to the storm's violence and their fear. Paul's speech follows with remarkable faith: he reports an angelic message that all aboard would survive. Fasting, whether forced or chosen, can create conditions where God's word breaks through with clarity.