upcast

English

Etymology

From Middle English upcasten, equivalent to up- +‎ cast.

Pronunciation

• (adjective, noun) IPA^(key): /ˈʌpkæst/, /ˈʌpkɑːst/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (verb) IPA^(key): /ʌpˈkæst/, /ʌpˈkɑːst/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌpkæst, -ʌpkɑːst, -æst, -ɑːst

Adjective

upcast (comparative more upcast, superlative most upcast)

1. Cast up; thrown upward.
   • a. 1720, Joseph Addison, “To Sir Godfrey Knelle”, in The Works of the Right Honourable Joseph Addison, Esq; […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], published 1721, →OCLC:

     Old Saturn too with upcast eyes
     Beheld his abdicated skies

Noun

upcast (plural upcasts)

1. (bowling) A cast; a throw.
   • 1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:

     When I kissed the jack, upon an upcast to be hit away

2. (mining) The ventilating shaft of a mine out of which the air passes after having circulated through the mine.
3. (mining) A current of air passed along such a shaft.
4. (Scotland) An upset, as from a carriage.
5. (Scotland) A taunt; a reproach.
   • 1823 December 23 (indicated as 1824), [Walter Scott], St Ronan’s Well. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC:

     for what with the upcast and terror that I got a wee while syne, and what wi' the wee bit taste that I behoved to take of the plottie while I was making it, my head is sair eneugh distressed the night already.

6. (computing) A cast from subtype to supertype.
7. A message transmitted via upcasting.

Synonyms

• (mining): upcast pit, upcast shaft

Coordinate terms

• (mining): downcast

Verb

upcast (third-person singular simple present upcasts, present participle upcasting, simple past and past participle upcast or upcasted)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To cast or throw up; to turn upward.
2. (transitive, Scotland) To taunt; to reproach; to upbraid.
3. (transitive, computing) To cast from subtype to supertype.

   Antonym: downcast

4. To broadcast a message or data to aircraft or satellites, especially via radio waves; as opposed to uplinking to a specific satellite or aircraft

Anagrams

• acts up, caputs, cast up, catsup

Scots

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʌpˈkast/

Verb

upcast (third-person singular simple present upcasts, present participle upcastin, simple past upcast, past participle upcast)

1. To upcast.
2. To reproach or taunt.