Roughcasted

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Coated with a coarse mixture of plaster and aggregate applied to walls as a protective or decorative finish
2. Having a surface covered by a textured plaster mixture that includes small stones or gravel for durability
3. Finished by applying an uneven plaster layer containing coarse materials to exterior or interior walls

Etymology: "Roughcasted" is the past participle of "roughcast," so it describes a wall that has been given a coarse finish. The verb itself is built from two plain English words: "rough," meaning uneven or unfinished, and "cast," in the building sense of throwing or applying material onto a surface. A rough cast is thus a first coat thrown onto a wall, and to roughcast a wall is to coat it with that material. The coating is the mixture the meaning describes: lime or cement mixed with small stones or gravel, applied to the outside of a building to protect the masonry beneath and give it a textured face. The gravel both toughens the surface and hides the rougher construction underneath, which is why the finish was valued on exterior walls.