Etymology
1. c.1230, from O.N.
kasta "to throw." The noun sense of "a throw" (c.1300) carried an idea of the form the thing takes after it has been thrown, which led to varied meanings, such as "group of actors in a play" (1631). O.E.D. finds 42 distinct noun meaning and 83 verbal ones, with many sub-definitions. A
cast in the eye preserves the older sense of "warp, turn," in which it replaced O.E.
weorpan (see warp), and is itself largely superseded now by
throw. Still used of fishing line and glances.
Castaway first recorded 1526.
Cast-iron is 1664.
2. Etymology tree
3. Proto-Germanic *kas-
4. Proto-Germanic *kastōną
5. Old Norse kastabor.
6. Middle English casten
7. English cast
8. From Middle English casten, from Old Norse kasta (“to throw, cast, overturn”), from Proto-Germanic *kastōną (“to throw, cast”), of unknown origin.
9. Cognate with Scots cast (“to cast, throw”), Danish kaste (“to throw”), Swedish kasta (“to throw, cast, fling, toss, discard”), Icelandic kasta (“to pitch, toss”). In the sense of "flinging", displaced native warp.
10. The senses relating to broadcasting are based on that same term; compare -cast. See: Proto-Germanic '
*kastōną', Scots '
cast', Danish '
kaste', Swedish '
kasta', Icelandic '
kasta'.
Verbs referencing "cast"
French
caster, Danish
kaste, Norwegian
kaste, Faroese
kasta, Icelandic
kasta, Dutch
casten, German, old spelling
casten.