A feminine noun with several distinct but related meanings, all involving objects that are cast or thrown. Most basically, it denotes a missile or javelin—a weapon hurled at an enemy. Nautically, it refers to the sounding-lead, the weighted line thrown overboard to measure water depth. In meteorological contexts, it describes flashes or bolts of lightning that are 'cast' from the sky. A later usage applies it to dice—specifically the cast or throw of dice, and then to the dice themselves as objects that are cast.