cast

—castable, adj. —castability, n.

/kast, kahst/, v., cast, casting, n., adj.

v.t.

1. to throw or hurl; fling: The gambler cast the dice.

2. to throw off or away: He cast the advertisement in the wastebasket.

3. to direct (the eye, a glance, etc.), esp. in a cursory manner: She cast her eyes down the page.

4. to cause to fall upon something or in a certain direction; send forth: to cast a soft light; to cast a spell; to cast doubts.

5. to draw (lots), as in telling fortunes.

6. Angling.

a. to throw out (a fishing line, net, bait, etc.): The fisherman cast his line.

b. to fish in (a stream, an area, etc.): He has often cast this brook.

7. to throw down or bring to the ground: She cast herself on the sofa.

8. to part with; lose: The horse cast a shoe.

9. to shed or drop (hair, fruit, etc.): The snake cast its skin.

10. (of an animal) to bring forth (young), esp. abortively.

11. to send off (a swarm), as bees do.

12. to throw or set aside; discard or reject; dismiss: He cast the problem from his mind.

13. to throw forth, as from within; emit or eject; vomit.

14. to throw up (earth, sod, etc.), as with a shovel.

15. to put or place, esp. hastily or forcibly: to cast someone in prison.

16. to deposit or give (a ballot or vote).

17. to bestow; confer: to cast blessings upon someone.

18. to make suitable or accordant; tailor: He cast his remarks to fit the occasion.

19. Theat.

a. to select actors for (a play, motion picture, or the like).

b. to allot a role to (an actor).

c. to assign an actor to (a role).

20. to form (an object) by pouring metal, plaster, etc., in a fluid state into a mold and letting it harden.

21. to form (metal, plaster, etc.) into a particular shape by pouring it into a mold in a fluid state and letting it harden.

22. to tap (a blast furnace).

23. to compute or calculate; add, as a column of figures.

24. to compute or calculate (a horoscope) astrologically; forecast.

25. to turn or twist; warp.

26. Naut. to turn the head of (a vessel), esp. away from the wind in getting under way.

27. Fox Hunting. (of a hunter) to lead or direct (hounds) over ground believed to have been recently traveled by a fox.

28. Archaic. to contrive, devise, or plan.

29. Obs. to ponder.

v.i.

30. to throw.

31. to receive form in a mold.

32. to calculate or add.

33. to conjecture; forecast.

34. (of hounds) to search an area for scent: The setter cast, but found no scent.

35. to warp, as timber.

36. Naut. (of a vessel) to turn, esp. to get the head away from the wind; tack.

37. to select the actors for a play, motion picture, or the like.

38. Obs.

a. to consider.

b. to plan or scheme.

39. cast about,

a. to look, as to find something; search; seek: We cast about for something to do during the approaching summer vacation.

b. to scheme; plan: He cast about how he could avoid work.

40. cast away,

a. Also, cast aside. to reject; discard.

b. to shipwreck.

c. to throw away; squander: He will cast away this money just as he has done in the past.

41. cast back, to refer to something past; revert to: The composer casts back to his earlier work.

42. cast down, to lower; humble.

43. cast off,

a. to discard; reject.

b. to let go or let loose, as a vessel from a mooring.

c. Print. to determine the quantity of type or space that a given amount of text will occupy when set.

d. Textiles. to make (the final stitches) in completing a knitted fabric.

e. to throw (a falcon) off from the fist to pursue game.

44. cast on, Textiles. to set (yarn) on a needle in order to form the initial stitches in knitting.

45. cast out, to force out; expel; eject.

46. cast up,

a. to add up; compute.

b. to vomit; eject.

c. Chiefly Scot. to turn up; appear.

n.

47. act of casting or throwing.

48. that which is thrown.

49. the distance to which a thing may be cast or thrown.

50. Games.

a. a throw of dice.

b. the number rolled.

51. Angling.

a. act of throwing a line or net onto the water.

b. a spot for casting; a fishing place.

52. Theat. the group of performers to whom parts are assigned; players.

53. Hunting. a searching of an area for a scent by hounds.

54. a stroke of fortune; fortune or lot.

55. a ride offered on one's way; lift.

56. the form in which something is made or written; arrangement.

57. Metall.

a. act of casting or founding.

b. the quantity of metal cast at one time.

58. something formed from a material poured into a mold in a molten or liquid state; casting.

59. an impression or mold made from something.

60. Med. a rigid surgical dressing, usually made of bandage treated with plaster of Paris.

61. outward form; appearance.

62. sort; kind; style.

63. tendency; inclination.

64. a permanent twist or turn: to have a cast in one's eye.

65. a warp.

66. a slight tinge of some color; hue; shade: A good diamond does not have a yellowish cast.

67. a dash or trace; a small amount.

68. computation; calculation; addition.

69. a conjecture; forecast.

70. Zool. something that is shed, ejected, or cast off or out, as molted skin, a feather, food from a bird's crop, or the coil of sand and waste passed by certain earthworms.

71. Ornith. pellet (def. 6).

72. Falconry. a pair of hawks put in flight together.

73. Pathol. effused plastic matter produced in the hollow parts of various diseased organs.

74. low-grade, irregular wool.

75. at a single cast, through a single action or event: He bankrupted himself at a single cast.

adj.

76. (of an animal, esp. a horse) lying in such a position that it is unable to return to its feet without assistance.

[1175-1225; ME casten < ON kasta to throw]

Syn. 1. See throw. 63. See turn.

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