case

A2 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /keɪs/ See IPA manual

Freq #346

Meanings

1

noun
A particular situation or example of something happening.

It was a clear case of bad judgment.
2

noun
A container or box for holding or carrying something.

The musicians left their instrument cases backstage.
3

noun
A problem or crime that the police or others investigate.

The detective finally solved the case.
4

noun
A set of facts and reasons used to support an argument.

She made a strong case for building more bike lanes.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a particular situation or... example instance

More befall

Word family

Forms casedcasefulcases

Derived forms best-casecasalcase-in-chiefcase-to-casecasebackcasebookcaseficcaselesscaselikecaseloadcasemancasewise

Appears in

Phrases (12)

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clear case
an obvious or straightforward instance of something that is easy to identify

Adjective + noun
serious case
an important instance of something that requires significant attention or concern

Adjective + noun
rare case
an unusual or infrequent instance of something

Adjective + noun
worst case
the most unfavorable possible situation or outcome

Adjective + noun
close a case
to officially end an investigation or legal matter

Verb + noun
handle a case
to manage and deal with a particular investigation or legal matter

Verb + noun

Idioms (1)

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edge case
an unusual or extreme scenario that lies outside the normal inputs, often where software fails

Proverbs (2)

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Simplified etymology

Case has two distinct origins. Case meaning “an instance” entered Middle English through French from Latin casus, “a fall,” referring to something that happens or befalls. Case meaning “container” comes from Old French casse and is based on Latin capsa, which is related to capere, “to hold.”

Etymology

From Middle English case, from Old Northern French casse (compare Old French chasse (“box, chest, case”)), from Latin capsa (“box, bookcase”), from capiō (“to take, seize, hold”). Doublet of cash, chase, and chasse. Compare Spanish caja, Asturian caxa, Portuguese caixa.

case Middle English casse fro-nor capsa Latin

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Topics

General Vocabulary

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# case

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /keɪs/
**Frequency rank:** 346

## Meanings
1. A particular situation or example of something happening.
2. A container or box for holding or carrying something.
3. A problem or crime that the police or others investigate.
4. A set of facts and reasons used to support an argument.

## Examples
- It was a clear case of bad judgment.
- The musicians left their instrument cases backstage.
- The detective finally solved the case.
- She made a strong case for building more bike lanes.

## Synonyms
- befall

## Derived Forms
- best-case
- casal
- case-in-chief
- case-to-case
- caseback
- casebook
- casefic
- caseless
- caselike
- caseload
- caseman
- casewise

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: case
- Root: casse
- Root: capsa

## Etymology
From Middle English case, from Old Northern French casse (compare Old French chasse (“box, chest, case”)), from Latin capsa (“box, bookcase”), from capiō (“to take, seize, hold”). Doublet of cash, chase, and chasse. Compare Spanish caja, Asturian caxa, Portuguese caixa.

## AI Etymology
case is a noun. It is from Middle English case, from Old Northern French casse (compare Old French chasse (“box, chest, case”)), from Latin capsa (“box, bookcase”), from capiō (“to take, seize, hold”). Doublet of cash, chase, and chasse. Compare Spanish caja, Asturian caxa, Portuguese caixa. Historical forms in the chain include case (Middle English), casse (Old Northern French), and capsa (Latin). Current senses include a particular situation or example of something happening, a container or box for holding or carrying something, and a problem or crime that the police or others investigate. Derived forms include best-case, casal, case-in-chief, case-to-case, and caseback.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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case

Meanings

Thesaurus

Appears in

Phrases (12)

Idioms (1)

Proverbs (2)

Simplified etymology

Etymology

Topics

External links

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