Function: transitive verb
Date: 1575
1 : LOOSE < cast off a hunting dog>
2 : UNFASTEN < cast off a boat>
3 : to remove (a stitch) from a knitting needle in such a way as to prevent unraveling
intransitive verb
1 : to unfasten or untie a boat or a line
2 : to turn one's partner in a square dance and pass around the outside of the set and back
3 : to finish a knitted fabric by casting off all stitches