I.a throwing, casting, hurling; a throw, cast.
I. Lit.
A. In gen.: “jactus fulminum,” Cic. Cat. 3, 8, 18; Plin. 2, 38, 38, § 104: “haec certamina tanta Pulveris exigui jactu compressa quiescunt,” Verg. G. 4, 87: “glebarum et testarum,” Quint. 8, 2, 5: “intra jactum teli progressus,” Verg. A. 11, 608: “teli jactu abesse,” to be a spear's-throw distant, Liv. 8, 7 init.: “usque ad jactum tali,” Tac. A. 13, 40; Curt. 3, 11, 1: “truces in sublime jactus (of the bull),” Plin. 11, 2, 1, § 4.—
B. In partic., a throw or cast of dice: “quid est tam incertum quam talorum jactus,” Cic. Div. 2, 59, 121: “in prospero tesserarum jactu,” Liv. 4, 17: “talorum ducere jactus,” Ov. A. A. 3, 353: “ita vita'st hominum quasi si ludas tesseris: si illud, quod maxime opus't jactu non cadit, etc.,” Ter. Ad. 4, 7, 22.—
C. Transf.
1. A throwing out, spreading: “jactus radiorum,” Plin. 2, 45, 45, § 116.—
2. A throwing down or out, throwing overboard: “jactum mercium facere levandae navis causā,” a jettison, Dig. 14, 2, 1 sq.: “facere jactum medio in ponto,” Sen. Troad. 1037: “horribilis de saxo jactu' deorsum,” Lucr. 3, 1016; Verg. G. 4, 528.—Absol.: “decidere jactu cum ventis,” Juv. 12, 33; Paul. Sent. 2, 7.—
3. A cast (of the net), a haul, draught: “jactum retis emere,” Dig. 19, 1, 11, § 18; Val. Max. 4, 1, 7 ext.—*
II. Trop., a throwing out, uttering: “fortuitus jactus vocis,” an assertion casually thrown out, Val. Max. 1, 5, 9.