Added 9 October 2026
downcast
/ˈdaʊnkɑːst/ noun
In Latin: dēiectus Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about downcast at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A ventilation shaft through which air enters a mine.
adjective
-
Directed downward.
a downcast glance
-
Filled with melancholy and despondency.
gloomy at the thought of what he had to face
Origin
The adjective is derived from Middle English doun-casten, *adoun-casten (“(adjective) cast down, dejected; (verb) to break down (something); to overcome (someone); to overturn (something)”), from down (“in a downward direction; (figurative) to destruction”), adoun (“downward”) + casten (“to throw (something), fling, hurl; to overcome (someone), defeat, overpower; [etc.]”) (from Old Norse kasta (“to cast, throw”), from Proto-Germanic *kastōną (“to throw”), from *kas- (“to throw, toss; to bring up”); further etymology uncertain), modelled similarly to other constructions in Middle English such as adoun-throwen (“to throw down”) and adoun-werpen (“to throw down”)).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)