Case , v. i. To propose hypothetical cases. [Obs.]
"Casing upon the matter." L'Estrange.
Case , n. [F. cas, fr. L. casus, fr. cadere to fall, to happen. Cf. Chance.]
1. Chance; accident; hap; opportunity. [Obs.]
By aventure, or sort, or
cas.
Chaucer.
2.
That which befalls, comes, or happens; an event; an instance; a circumstance, or all the circumstances; condition; state of things; affair; as, a strange
case; a case of injustice; the case of the
Indian tribes.
In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge.
Deut. xxiv. 13.
If the case of the
man be so with his wife.
Matt. xix.
10.
And when a lady's in the case
You know all other things give place.
Gay.
You think this madness but a common
case.
Pope.
I am in case to justle a constable,
Shak.
3. (Med. & Surg.) A patient under treatment; an instance of sickness or injury; as, ten cases of fever; also, the history of a disease
or injury.
A proper remedy in hypochondriacal cases.
Arbuthnot.
4. (Law) The matters of fact or
conditions involved in a suit, as distinguished from the questions of law; a suit or action at
law; a cause.
Let us consider the reason of the
case, for nothing is law that is not reason.
Sir John
Powell.
Not one case in the reports of
our courts.
Steele.
5. (Gram.) One of the
forms, or the inflections or changes of form, of a noun, pronoun, or adjective, which indicate its relation to other words, and in the aggregate constitute its declension; the relation which a noun
or pronoun sustains to some other
word.
Case is properly a falling off from the nominative or first state of word; the name for which, however, is now, by extension of its signification, applied
also to the
nominative.
J. W. Gibbs.
&fist; Cases other than the nominative are oblique cases. Case
endings are terminations by which certain cases are distinguished. In old English, as in Latin, nouns had several cases distinguished by case endings, but in modern English only that of the possessive case is retained.
Action on the case
(Law), according
to the old classification (now obsolete), was an action for
redress of wrongs or injuries to person or property not specially provided against by law, in which
the whole cause of complaint was set out in the writ; -- called also trespass on the case, or simply case. --
All a case, a matter of indifference. [Obs.] "It is all a case to me." L'Estrange. -- Case at bar. See under Bar, n. --
Case divinity,
casuistry. -- Case lawyer, one versed in
the reports of cases rather than in the science of the law. -- Case stated or agreed on (Law), a statement in writing of facts agreed on and submitted to the court
for a decision of the legal points arising on them. -- A hard case, an abandoned or incorrigible person. [Colloq.] -- In any case, whatever may be the state
of affairs; anyhow. --
In case, or In case that, if; supposing that; in the event
or contingency; if it should
happen that. "In case we
are surprised, keep by me." W.
Irving. -- In good case, in good condition, health, or state of body. -- To put a case,
to suppose a hypothetical or illustrative case.
Syn. -- Situation, condition, state; circumstances; plight;
predicament; occurrence; contingency; accident;
event; conjuncture; cause; action; suit.
Case , v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cased (?);
p. pr. & vb. n.
Casing.]
1. To cover or protect with, or as with, a case; to inclose.
The man who,
cased in steel, had passed whole days and nights in the saddle.
Prescott.
2. To strip the
skin from; as, to case a box. [Obs.]
Case (kās),
n. [OF.
casse, F. caisse (cf. It. cassa), fr. L. capsa
chest, box, case, fr. capere to take, hold. See Capacious, and cf. 4th Chase, Cash, Enchase, 3d
Sash.]
1. A box, sheath,
or covering; as, a case
for holding goods; a case for spectacles; the case of a watch; the case (capsule) of a
cartridge; a case (cover) for a book.
2. A box and its contents; the quantity contained in a box; as, a case
of goods; a
case of
instruments.
3. (Print.) A shallow tray divided into compartments or "boxes" for holding type.
&fist; Cases for type are usually arranged in sets of two,
called respectively the
upper and the lower case. The upper case contains capitals,
small capitals, accented and marked letters, fractions, and
marks of reference: the lower case contains the small letters, figures, marks of punctuation, quadrats, and
spaces.
4. An inclosing frame; a casing; as, a
door case; a window case.
5. (Mining) A small fissure which admits water to the workings. Knight.
Hear it pronounced