an instance of the occurrence, existence, etc., of something: Sailing in such a storm was a case of poor judgment.
2.
the actual state of things: That is not the case.
3.
a question or problem of moral conduct; matter: a case of conscience.
4.
situation; circumstance; plight: Mine is a sad case.
5.
a person or thing whose plight or situation calls for attention: This family is a hardship case.
6.
a specific occurrence or matter requiring discussion, decision, or investigation, as by officials or law-enforcement authorities: The police studied the case of the missing jewels.
7.
a stated argument used to support a viewpoint: He presented a strong case against the proposed law.
8.
an instance of disease, injury, etc., requiring medical or surgical attention or treatment; individual affliction: She had a severe case of chicken pox.
9.
a medical or surgical patient.
10.
Law.
a.
a suit or action at law; cause.
b.
a set of facts giving rise to a legal claim, or to a defense to a legal claim.
11.
Grammar.
a.
a category in the inflection of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives, noting the syntactic relation of these words to other words in the sentence, indicated by the form or the position of the words.
b.
a set of such categories in a particular language.
c.
the meaning of or the meaning typical of such a category.
d.
such categories or their meanings collectively.
12.
Informal. a peculiar or unusual person: He's a case.
—Idioms
13.
get or be on someone's case, Slang. to bother or nag someone; meddle in someone's affairs: Her brother is always on her case about getting married. Why do you keep getting on my case?
14.
get off someone's case, Slang. to stop bothering or criticizing someone or interfering in someone's affairs: I've had enough of your advice, so just get off my case.
15.
have a case on, Slang. to be infatuated with: He had a case on the girl next door.
16.
in any case, regardless of circumstances; be that as it may; anyhow: In any case, there won't be any necessity for you to come along.
17.
in case, if it should happen that; if: In case I am late, don't wait to start dinner.
18.
in case of, in the event of; if there should be: In case of an error in judgment, the group leader will be held responsible.
19.
in no case, under no condition; never: He should in no case be allowed to get up until he has completely recovered from his illness.
[Origin: before 1150; ME ca(a)s < AF, OF cas < L cāsus fall, accident, event, grammatical case (trans. of Gk ptôsis), equiv. to cad(ere) to fall + -tus suffix of v. action; cf. OE cāsus grammatical case]
—Related forms
caseless, adjective
case·less·ly, adverb
—Synonyms 1.Case,instance,example,illustration suggest the existence or occurrence of a particular thing representative of its type. Case and instance are closely allied in meaning, as are example and illustration.Case is a general word, meaning a fact, occurrence, or situation typical of a class: a case of assault and battery. An instance is a concrete factual case which is adduced to explain a general idea: an instance of a brawl in which an assault occurred. An example is one typical case, usually from many similar ones, used to make clear or explain the working of a principle (what may be expected of any others of the group): This boy is an example of the effect of strict discipline. An illustration exemplifies a theory or principle similarly, except that the choice may be purely hypothetical: The work of Seeing Eye dogs is an illustration of what is thought to be intelligence in animals.
an often small or portable container for enclosing something, as for carrying or safekeeping; receptacle: a jewel case.
2.
a sheath or outer covering: a knife case.
3.
a box with its contents: a case of ginger ale.
4.
the amount contained in a box or other container: There are a dozen bottles to a case.
5.
a pair or couple; brace: a case of pistols.
6.
a surrounding frame or framework, as of a door.
7.
Bookbinding. a completed book cover ready to be fitted to form the binding of a book.
8.
Printing. a tray of wood, metal, or plastic, divided into compartments for holding types for the use of a compositor and usually arranged in a set of two, the upper (upper case) for capital letters and often auxiliary types, the lower (lower case) for small letters and often auxiliary types, now generally replaced by the California job case. Compare news case.
9.
a cavity in the skull of a sperm whale, containing an oil from which spermaceti is obtained.
10.
Also called case card.Cards. the last card of a suit or denomination that remains after the other cards have been played: a case heart; the case jack.
Southeastern U.S.(chiefly South Carolina). a coin of a particular denomination, as opposed to the same amount in change: a case quarter.
13.
Metallurgy. the hard outer part of a piece of casehardened steel.
–verb (used with object)
14.
to put or enclose in a case; cover with a case.
15.
Slang. to examine or survey (a house, bank, etc.) in planning a crime (sometimes fol. by out): They cased the joint and decided to pull the job on Sunday.
16.
to fuse a layer of glass onto (glass of a contrasting color or of different properties).
17.
to cover (a surface of a wall, well, shaft, etc.) with a facing or lining; revet.
18.
Bookbinding. to bind (a book) in a case.
19.
CardsSlang.
a.
to arrange (cards or a pack of cards) in a dishonest manner.
b.
to remember the quantity, suit, or denomination of (the cards played).
[Origin: 1250–1300; ME cas < AF cas(s)e, OF chasse < L capsa cylindrical case for holding books in scroll form, receptacle]
An instance of something; an occurrence; an example: a case of mistaken identity. See Synonyms at example.
An occurrence of a disease or disorder: a mild case of flu.
A set of circumstances or a state of affairs; a situation: It may rain, in which case the hike will be canceled.
Actual fact; reality: We suspected the walls were hollow, and this proved to be the case.
A question or problem; a matter: It is simply a case of honor.
A situation that requires investigation, especially by a formal or official body.
Law
An action or a suit or just grounds for an action.
The facts or evidence offered in support of a claim.
In traditional grammar, a distinct form of a noun, pronoun, or modifier that is used to express one or more particular syntactic relationships to other words in a sentence.
Case In some varieties of generative grammar, the thematic or semantic role of a noun phrase as represented abstractly but not necessarily indicated overtly in surface structure. In such frameworks, nouns in English have Case even in the absence of inflectional case endings.
A set of reasons or supporting facts; an argument: presented a good case for changing the law.
A person being assisted, treated, or studied, as by a physician, lawyer, or social worker.
Informal A peculiar or eccentric person; a character.
Linguistics
In traditional grammar, a distinct form of a noun, pronoun, or modifier that is used to express one or more particular syntactic relationships to other words in a sentence.
Case In some varieties of generative grammar, the thematic or semantic role of a noun phrase as represented abstractly but not necessarily indicated overtly in surface structure. In such frameworks, nouns in English have Case even in the absence of inflectional case endings.
[Middle English cas, from Old French, from Latin cāsus, from past participle of cadere, to fall; see kad- in Indo-European roots.]
"state of affairs," c.1225, from O.Fr. cas "an event," from L. casus "a chance," lit. "a falling," from cas-, pp. stem of cadere "to fall," from PIE base *kad- "to fall" (cf. Skt. sad- "to fall down," Armenian chacnum "to fall, become low," perhaps also M.Ir. casar "hail, lightning"). The notion being "that which falls" as "that which happens." Widespread extended senses in law, medicine, grammar, etc. In case "in the event" is recorded from c.1340.
"receptacle," c.1300, from O.N.Fr. casse, O.Fr. chasse, from L. capsa "box," from capere "to take, hold" (see capable). The verb meaning "examine, inspect" (usually prior to robbing) is Amer.Eng. slang first recorded 1915. Staircase is from 1663. Artillery sense is from 1667, from case-shot "small projectiles put in cases" (1625). Reference in the printing trade (first recorded 1588) to the two trays where compositors keep their types in separate compartments for easy access led to upper case for capitals and lower case for small letters.
an occurrence of something; "it was a case of bad judgment"; "another instance occurred yesterday"; "but there is always the famous example of the Smiths"
2.
a special set of circumstances; "in that event, the first possibility is excluded"; "it may rain in which case the picnic will be canceled" [syn: event]
3.
a comprehensive term for any proceeding in a court of law whereby an individual seeks a legal remedy; "the family brought suit against the landlord" [syn: lawsuit]
4.
the actual state of things; "that was not the case"
5.
a portable container for carrying several objects; "the musicians left their instrument cases backstage"
6.
a person requiring professional services; "a typical case was the suburban housewife described by a marriage counselor"
7.
a person who is subjected to experimental or other observational procedures; someone who is an object of investigation; "the subjects for this investigation were selected randomly"; "the cases that we studied were drawn from two different communities" [syn: subject]
8.
a problem requiring investigation; "Perry Mason solved the case of the missing heir"
9.
a statement of facts and reasons used to support an argument; "he stated his case clearly"
10.
the quantity contained in a case
11.
nouns or pronouns or adjectives (often marked by inflection) related in some way to other words in a sentence
12.
a specific state of mind that is temporary; "a case of the jitters"
13.
a person of a specified kind (usually with many eccentricities); "a real character"; "a strange character"; "a friendly eccentric"; "the capable type"; "a mental case" [syn: character]
14.
a specific size and style of type within a type family [syn: font]
15.
an enveloping structure or covering enclosing an animal or plant organ or part [syn: sheath]
16.
the housing or outer covering of something; "the clock has a walnut case" [syn: shell]
17.
the enclosing frame around a door or window opening; "the casings had rotted away and had to be replaced" [syn: casing]
18.
(printing) the receptacle in which a compositor has his type, which is divided into compartments for the different letters, spaces, or numbers; "for English, a compositor will ordinarily have two such cases, the upper case containing the capitals and the lower case containing the small letters"
19.
bed linen consisting of a cover for a pillow; "the burglar carried his loot in a pillowcase"
20.
a glass container used to store and display items in a shop or museum or home
verb
1.
look over, usually with the intention to rob; "They men cased the housed"
2.
enclose in, or as if in, a case; "my feet were encased in mud" [syn: encase]
A grammatical category indicating whether nouns and pronouns are functioning as the subject of a sentence (nominative case) or the object of a sentence (objective case), or are indicating possession (possessivecase). He is in the nominative case, him is in the objective case, and his is in the possessive case. In a language such as English, nouns do not change their form in the nominative or objective case. Only pronouns do. Thus, ball stays the same in both “the ball is thrown,” where it is the subject, and in “Harry threw the ball,” where it is the object.
case 1. switch statement. 2. Whether a character is a capital letter ("upper case" - ABC..Z) or a small letter ("lower case" - abc..z). The term case comes from the printing trade when the use of moving type was invented in the early Middle Ages (Caxton or Gutenberg?) and the letters for each font were stored in a box with two sections (or "cases"), the upper case was for the capital letters and the lower case was for the small letters. The Oxford Universal Dictionary of Historical Principles (Feb 1993, reprinted 1952) indicates that this usage of "case" (as the box or frame used by a compositor in the printing trade) was first used in 1588. (1996-03-01)
Ac"ci*dent\, n. [F. accident, fr. L. accidens, -dentis, p. pr. of accidere to happen; ad + cadere to fall. See Cadence, Case.]1. Literally, a befalling; an event that takes place without one's foresight or expectation; an undesigned, sudden, and unexpected event; chance; contingency; often, an undesigned and unforeseen occurrence of an afflictive or unfortunate character; a casualty; a mishap; as, to die by an accident. Of moving accidents by flood and field. --Shak. Thou cam'st not to thy place by accident: It is the very place God meant for thee. --Trench. 2. (Gram.) A property attached to a word, but not essential to it, as gender, number, case. 3. (Her.) A point or mark which may be retained or omitted in a coat of arms. 4. (Log.) (a) A property or quality of a thing which is not essential to it, as whiteness in paper; an attribute. (b) A quality or attribute in distinction from the substance, as sweetness, softness. 5. Any accidental property, fact, or relation; an accidental or nonessential; as, beauty is an accident. This accident, as I call it, of Athens being situated some miles from the sea. --J. P. Mahaffy. 6. Unusual appearance or effect. [Obs.] --Chaucer. Note: Accident, in Law, is equivalent to casus, or such unforeseen, extraordinary, extraneous interference as is out of the range of ordinary calculation.
Brain\, n. [OE. brain, brein, AS. bragen, br[ae]gen; akin to LG. br["a]gen, bregen, D. brein, and perh. to Gr. ?, the upper part of head, if ? =?. [root]95.]1. (Anat.) The whitish mass of soft matter (the center of the nervous system, and the seat of consciousness and volition) which is inclosed in the cartilaginous or bony cranium of vertebrate animals. It is simply the anterior termination of the spinal cord, and is developed from three embryonic vesicles, whose cavities are connected with the central canal of the cord; the cavities of the vesicles become the central cavities, or ventricles, and the walls thicken unequally and become the three segments, the fore-, mid-, and hind-brain. Note: In the brain of man the cerebral lobes, or largest part of the forebrain, are enormously developed so as to overhang the cerebellum, the great lobe of the hindbrain, and completely cover the lobes of the midbrain. The surface of the cerebrum is divided into irregular ridges, or convolutions, separated by grooves (the so-called fissures and sulci), and the two hemispheres are connected at the bottom of the longitudinal fissure by a great transverse band of nervous matter, the corpus callosum, while the two halves of the cerebellum are connected on the under side of the brain by the bridge, or pons Varolii. 2. (Zo["o]l.) The anterior or cephalic ganglion in insects and other invertebrates. 3. The organ or seat of intellect; hence, the understanding. " My brain is too dull." --Sir W. Scott. Note: In this sense, often used in the plural. 4. The affections; fancy; imagination. [R.] --Shak. To have on the brain, to have constantly in one's thoughts, as a sort of monomania. [Low] Brain box or case, the bony on cartilaginous case inclosing the brain. Brain coral, Brain stone coral (Zo["o]l), a massive reef-building coral having the surface covered by ridges separated by furrows so as to resemble somewhat the surface of the brain, esp. such corals of the genera M[ae]andrina and Diploria. Brain fag (Med.), brain weariness. See Cerebropathy. Brain fever (Med.), fever in which the brain is specially affected; any acute cerebral affection attended by fever. Brain sand, calcareous matter found in the pineal gland.
Cais"son\, n. [F., fr. caisse, case, chest. See 1st Case.]1. (Mil.) (a) A chest to hold ammunition. (b) A four-wheeled carriage for conveying ammunition, consisting of two parts, a body and a limber. In light field batteries there is one caisson to each piece, having two ammunition boxes on the body, and one on the limber. --Farrow. (c) A chest filled with explosive materials, to be laid in the way of an enemy and exploded on his approach. 2. (a) A water-tight box, of timber or iron within which work is carried on in building foundations or structures below the water level. (b) A hollow floating box, usually of iron, which serves to close the entrances of docks and basins. (c) A structure, usually with an air chamber, placed beneath a vessel to lift or float it. 3. (Arch.) A sunk panel of ceilings or soffits. Pneumatic caisson (Engin.), a caisson, closed at the top but open at the bottom, and resting upon the ground under water. The pressure of air forced into the caisson keeps the water out. Men and materials are admitted to the interior through an air lock. See Lock.
Car"cass\ (k[aum]r"kas), n.; pl. Carcasses. [Written also carcase.] [F. carcasse, fr. It. carcassa, fr. L. caro flesh + capsa chest, box, case. Cf. Carnal, Case a sheath.]1. A dead body, whether of man or beast; a corpse; now commonly the dead body of a beast. He turned to see the carcass of the lion. --Judges xiv. 8. This kept thousands in the town whose carcasses went into the great pits by cartloads. --De Foe. 2. The living body; -- now commonly used in contempt or ridicule. "To pamper his own carcass." --South. Lovely her face; was ne'er so fair a creature. For earthly carcass had a heavenly feature. --Oldham. 3. The abandoned and decaying remains of some bulky and once comely thing, as a ship; the skeleton, or the uncovered or unfinished frame, of a thing. A rotten carcass of a boat. --Shak. 4. (Mil.) A hollow case or shell, filled with combustibles, to be thrown from a mortar or howitzer, to set fire to buldings, ships, etc. A discharge of carcasses and bombshells. --W. Iving.
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