castaway
UK[ˈkɑːstəweɪ]US[ˈkæstəweɪ]
n
A person who has been shipwrecked and stranded in an isolated place.
n
A person or thing that has been rejected or discarded.
Morpheme Breakdown
cast
away
cast
throw
away
off, from
Etymology
The word 'castaway' is a transparent compound formed from the verb 'cast' and the adverb 'away'. Its literal, 16th-century nautical meaning was "one who is thrown away," specifically referring to a sailor washed overboard or abandoned on a desolate shore. This concrete image of being forcibly thrown from a ship into isolation naturally evolved into the broader, metaphorical sense of a person or thing that is rejected or discarded by society. The logic of the word perfectly captures the journey from an active act of throwing (cast) to a resultant state of separation and abandonment (away).
Analysis
Structure: cast (throw) + away (off, from)
- cast: From Old Norse 'kasta' (to throw), of uncertain ultimate origin, possibly from a Proto-Germanic base. Functional role: A verb root meaning to throw.
- away: From Old English 'aweg', 'onweg' (on one's way, onward, from this or that place). Functional role: An adverbial particle indicating direction or separation.
Examples
The novel tells the story of a castaway who survives for years on a deserted island.
After the scandal, he felt like a social castaway, shunned by his former colleagues.
The old furniture, a castaway from the previous tenants, was left in the attic.