Precasting

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. The procedure of shaping materials into predetermined forms before they are installed in a project combines manufacturing practices and construction techniques
2. This technique involves producing items in a mold ahead of time to facilitate their subsequent use in assembly or construction projects
3. The method of creating parts by molding them prior to assembly or construction

Etymology: "Precasting" is simply the -ing form of "precast," a verb built from the prefix "pre-," meaning "before," and "cast." The base "cast" came into English from Old Norse "kasta," meaning "to throw," and it reached the sense of pouring molten material into a mould later on, the same idea that gives us cast iron and cast bronze. Putting the two together gives "to cast beforehand," so that concrete or other materials are formed into units in a factory or yard before being carried to the building site. The construction sense of the verb is the one a reader is most likely to meet, and it works the same way as the older "precooked" or "prefabricate." Because the prefix carries the timing, the verb needs no further explanation: the casting happens first, and the installation follows. The -ing form simply names the activity of doing that work.