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o·ver·cast

(ōvər-kăst′, ō′vər-kăst)

adj.

a. Covered or obscured, as with clouds or mist.

b. Clouded over.

2. Gloomy; melancholy.

3. Sewn with long, overlying stitches in order to prevent raveling, as the raw edges of fabric.

n. (ōvər-kăst′)

1. A covering, as of mist or clouds.

2. An arch or support for a passage over another passage in a mine.

3. A cast made in fishing that falls beyond the point intended.

4. An overcast stitch or seam.

v. (ō′vər-kăst, ōvər-kăst′) o·ver·cast, o·ver·cast·ing, o·ver·casts

v.tr.

1. To make cloudy or gloomy.

2. To cast beyond (the intended point) with a fishing rod.

3. To sew with long, overlying stitches.

v.intr.

To become cloudy or gloomy.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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