Main Entry:

¹case

Pronunciation:

\ˈkās\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English cas, from Anglo-French, from Latin casus fall, chance, from cadere to fall — more at chance

Date:

13th century

1 a: a set of circumstances or conditions <is the statement true in all three cases> b (1): a situation requiring investigation or action (as by the police) (2): the object of investigation or consideration2: condition ; specifically : condition of body or mind3 [Middle English cas, from Anglo-French, from Latin casus, translation of Greek ptōsis, literally, fall] a: an inflectional form of a noun, pronoun, or adjective indicating its grammatical relation to other words b: such a relation whether indicated by inflection or not4: what actually exists or happens : fact <thought he had failed, but that wasn't the case>5 a: a suit or action in law or equity b (1): the evidence supporting a conclusion or judgment (2): argument ; especially : a convincing argument <makes a good case for adopting the proposal>6 a: an instance of disease or injury <a case of pneumonia> ; also : patient b: an instance that directs attention to a situation or exhibits it in action : example c: a peculiar person : character7: oneself considered as an object of harassment or criticism <get off my case>

synonyms see instance

— in any case

: without regard to or in spite of other considerations : whatever else is done or is the case <war is inevitable in any case> <in any case the report will be made public next month>

— in case

: as a precaution <took an umbrella, just in case>

— in case of

: in the event of <in case of trouble, yell>