I. ˈkast verb
( cast ; cast·ing )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old Norse kasta; akin to Old Norse kǫs heap
Date: 13th century
transitive verb
1.
a. : to cause to move or send forth by throwing
cast a fishing lure
cast dice
b. : direct
cast a glance
c.
(1) : to put forth
the fire cast s a warm glow
cast light on the subject
(2) : to place as if by throwing
cast doubt on their reliability
d. : to deposit (a ballot) formally
e.
(1) : to throw off or away
the horse cast a shoe
(2) : to get rid of : discard
cast off all restraint
(3) : shed , molt
(4) : to bring forth ; especially : to give birth to prematurely
f. : to throw to the ground especially in wrestling
g. : to build by throwing up earth
2.
a.
(1) : to perform arithmetical operations on : add
(2) : to calculate by means of astrology
b. archaic : decide , intend
3.
a. : to dispose or arrange into parts or into a suitable form or order
b.
(1) : to assign the parts of (a dramatic production) to actors
cast a movie
(2) : to assign (as an actor) to a role or part
was cast in the leading role
4.
a. : to give a shape to (a substance) by pouring in liquid or plastic form into a mold and letting harden without pressure
cast steel
b. : to form by this process
5. : turn
cast the scale slightly
6. : to make (a knot or stitch) by looping or catching up
7. : twist , warp
a beam cast by age
intransitive verb
1. : to throw something ; specifically : to throw out a lure with a fishing rod
2. dialect British : vomit
3. dialect England : to bear fruit : yield
4.
a. : to perform addition
b. obsolete : estimate , conjecture
5. : warp
6. : to range over land in search of a trail — used of hunting dogs or trackers
7. : veer
Synonyms: see discard , throw
• cast·abil·i·ty ˌkas-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē noun
• cast·able ˈkas-tə-bəl adjective
•
- cast lots
II. noun
Date: 14th century
1.
a. : an act of casting
b. : something that happens as a result of chance
c. : a throw of dice
d. : a throw of a line (as a fishing line) or net
2.
a. : the form in which a thing is constructed
b.
(1) : the set of actors in a dramatic production
(2) : a set of characters or persons
in both great houses there is the usual cast of servants — Elizabeth Bowen
c. : the arrangement of draperies in a painting
3. : the distance to which a thing can be thrown ; specifically : the distance a bow can shoot
4.
a. : a turning of the eye in a particular direction ; also : expression
this freakish, elfish cast came into the child's eye — Nathaniel Hawthorne
b. : a slight strabismus
5. : something that is thrown or the quantity thrown ; especially British : the leader of a fishing line
6.
a. : something that is formed by casting in a mold or form: as
(1) : a reproduction (as of a statue) in metal or plaster : casting
(2) : a fossil reproduction of the details of a natural object by mineral infiltration
b. : an impression taken from an object with a liquid or plastic substance : mold
c. : a rigid casing (as of fiberglass or of gauze impregnated with plaster of paris) used for immobilizing a usually diseased or broken part
7. : forecast , conjecture
8.
a. : an overspread of a color or modification of the appearance of a substance by a trace of some added hue : shade
gray with a greenish cast
b. : tinge , suggestion
9.
a. : a ride on one's way in a vehicle : lift
b. Scottish : help , assistance
10.
a. : shape , appearance
the delicate cast of her features
b. : characteristic quality
his father's conservative cast of mind
11. : something that is shed, ejected, or thrown out or off: as
a. : the excrement of an earthworm
b. : a mass of soft matter formed in cavities of diseased organs and discharged from the body
c. : the skin of an insect
12. : the ranging in search of a trail by a dog, hunting pack, or tracker