Overcast
/ˌoʊvərˈkæst/noun
Covered with clouds or, in older use, thrown or placed over something.
Did you know?The word comes from the verb *cast*, which once meant to throw, hurl, or spread something over a surface, so an overcast sky is literally one that has been “thrown over” with cloud.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
oferceast / ofer-cast
“thrown over; covered”
Middle English
ME
overcasten
“to cover or throw over; later, to cloud over”
15th Century
English
overcast
“covered, overspread, especially with clouds”
Modern English
English
overcast
“cloudy; covered by clouds”