Lewis & Short

2. jactus, ūs, m. [jacio], a throwing, casting, hurling; a throw, cast.

  1. I. Lit.
    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. C. Transf.
      1. 1. A throwing out, spreading: jactus radiorum, Plin. 2, 45, 45, § 116.
      2. 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. 3. A cast (of the net), a haul, draught: jactum retis emere, Dig. 19, 1, 11, § 18; Val. Max. 4, 1, 7 ext.
  2. * II. Trop., a throwing out, uttering: fortuitus jactus vocis, an assertion casually thrown out, Val. Max. 1, 5, 9.