case

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. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A box and its contents; the quantity contained in a box; as, a case of goods; a case of instruments. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Print.) A shallow tray divided into compartments or “boxes” for holding type. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. An inclosing frame; a casing; as, a door case; a window case. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Mining) A small fissure which admits water to the workings. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Cased p. pr. & vb. n. Casing. ] 1. To cover or protect with, or as with, a case; to inclose. [ 1913 Webster ]

The man who, cased in steel, had passed whole days and nights in the saddle. Prescott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To strip the skin from; as, to case a box. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. cas, fr. L. casus, fr. cadere to fall, to happen. Cf. Chance. ] 1. Chance; accident; hap; opportunity. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

By aventure, or sort, or cas. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge. Deut. xxiv. 13. [ 1913 Webster ]

If the case of the man be so with his wife. Matt. xix. 10. [ 1913 Webster ]

And when a lady's in the case
You know all other things give place. Gay. [ 1913 Webster ]

You think this madness but a common case. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

I am in case to justle a constable, Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

A proper remedy in hypochondriacal cases. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

Let us consider the reason of the case, for nothing is law that is not reason. Sir John Powell. [ 1913 Webster ]

Not one case in the reports of our courts. Steele. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

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
Case 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. to turn into cheese; -- of milk. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. to undergo caseation; -- of dead tissue. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Cf. F. caséation. See Casein. ] (Med.) A degeneration of animal tissue into a cheesy or curdy mass. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Arch.) (a) The space between two principals or girders. (b) One of the joists framed between a pair of girders in naked flooring. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a book in which detailed written records of cases are kept and which are a source of information for subsequent work. Such books are often used as supplements to texts in law schools. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

adj. 1. covered or protected with or as if with a case; as, knights cased in steel.
Syn. -- encased, incased. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. same as bound; -- of books.
Syn. -- covered. [ WordNet 1.5 ]