Cast

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /kɑːst/

Definitions

1. To throw something forcefully or to assign actors to roles in a performance
2. To throw an object with force, assign roles in a play, or create an impression using a mold with liquid substances
3. To propel an object through the air using force ; to choose performers for parts in a theatrical production ; to form an object by pouring liquid material into a shaped cavity

Etymology: The verb "cast" is a Norse loan that pushed out an older English word. Old English had "weorpan" for throwing, and it was Old Norse "kasta", meaning "to throw, cast, overturn", that came into Middle English as "casten" and gradually took over the job of flinging things. The Old English verb was displaced in this sense, so the familiar modern meaning of hurling an object is a Viking-age import. The Old Norse verb traces back to a Proto-Germanic form, "kastōną", whose ultimate origin is unknown. Its close relatives survive in Scots, Danish, Swedish and Icelandic, where "kasta" or "kaste" still means to throw or toss, so the word is firmly rooted across the North Germanic languages. The same root spread into several other senses. Pouring molten metal into a mould, choosing actors for a play, and casting a ballot or a spell all grow from the basic idea of throwing or putting something forth. Broadcasting follows the same thread: the "-cast" in "broadcast" and "webcast" comes from this word as well.

Synonyms: throw, hurl, fling

Antonyms: catch, receive