cast away
cast away は英検準1級・TOEIC 860・TOEFL 80・IELTS 6.5レベルの英単語で、「投げ捨てる、捨て去る、見捨てる」という意味があります。発音記号は /kæst əˈweɪ/ です。
投げ捨てる、捨て去る
解説 Definition
不要な物を投げ捨てる、見限って捨てる、あるいは不安や迷いなどを振り払うという意味の句動詞。実際に物を捨てる場面にも、過去の失敗や感情を断ち切る比喩的な場面にも使え、思い切って手放す響きを持つ。
To throw something away or get rid of it completely. It can also mean to give up or leave behind something such as a belief, hope, or former way of life. The phrase often has a strong sense of rejection or abandonment.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
cast を「外へ投げる」、away を「手元から離す」と分けて覚えるとよいです。物を実際に放り出す場面から、letters, doubts, fear, the past のような不要な物・感情・過去を思い切って手放す比喩まで使えます。throw away より文語的で、単に処分するだけでなく「きっぱり遠ざける」響きがあります。対象が物や心の中のものならこの用法です。
Remember "cast" as throwing or sending something outward. Add "away," and the idea becomes throwing it far from you, so you no longer keep it. It is close to "throw away," but "cast away" sounds more literary. It can also be used for feelings, memories, or the past.
例文
The sailors cast away the broken equipment before setting sail again.
船員たちは再び出航する前に壊れた装備を投げ捨てた。
He tried to cast away his doubts and focus on the presentation.
彼は迷いを捨ててプレゼンに集中しようとした。
She decided to cast away the letters that reminded her of the painful past.
彼女はつらい過去を思い出させる手紙を捨てることにした。
見捨てる
(意味 2)解説 Definition
人や仲間を助けず、関係や責任の外へ追いやるように「見捨てる」という意味です。家族・友人・社会から拒まれる文脈で使われ、日常会話よりやや書き言葉的、感情的な響きがあります。
To cast away someone means to reject them and leave them without help or support. It is often used when a person is pushed out of a family, group, or society, so it has a strong emotional feeling. This expression is a little more literary and dramatic than everyday words like abandon, and it is also common in passive forms such as be cast away by others.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
cast は「投げる」だけでなく、何かを外へ送り出す感覚を持つ語です。away が付くと「自分や集団から遠ざける」イメージになり、人に対して使うと「仲間として受け入れず、助けずに外へ追いやる」→「見捨てる」と考えられます。abandon よりやや文語的・感情的で、be cast away by family のように受け身でもよく出ます。別エントリの「投げ捨てる」は物や考えを手放す意味なので、人間関係の拒絶に注目しましょう。
Think of cast as not only "throw" but also "send out." When away is added, the image becomes sending someone far from you or from the group. That helps you remember cast away as "reject and leave someone behind," especially in emotional contexts like be cast away by family. Be careful not to confuse it with uses about objects, where the meaning is closer to simply throwing something away.
例文
After the scandal, he felt that his old friends had cast him away.
その不祥事のあと、彼は昔の友人たちに見捨てられたと感じた。
Many children fear being cast away by their families if they speak honestly about who they are.
多くの子どもは、自分の本当の姿を正直に話したら家族に見捨てられるのではないかと恐れている。
In the novel, the wounded soldier is cast away by the people he once protected.
その小説では、傷ついた兵士がかつて守った人々に見捨てられる。
cast away の語源・成り立ち Etymology
cast away は cast「投げる」と away「離れて」の句動詞で、「向こうへ投げやる」が原イメージです。cast は古ノルド語 kasta に由来するとされ、だから単なる置き去りでなく「捨て去る」強い感じが出ます。関連語に broadcast、downcast があります。
This phrasal verb joins cast and away, with the original image of throwing something off or far from you. Cast probably came from Old Norse kasta, meaning "to throw." That strong physical sense explains how the phrase developed into the idea of rejecting or abandoning, and related words include broadcast and downcast.
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