Case
/keɪs/noun
An instance, example, or set of circumstances; also a container or a legal matter.
Did you know?English case ultimately comes from Latin *casus*, meaning “a fall” or “chance,” which also gave us the eerie idea of “casualty” as something that happens by accident.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ḱeh₂-
“to fall”
Latin
Latin
cadere
“to fall”
Latin
Latin
casus
“a fall; chance; event; accident”
Old French
OF
cas
“case; circumstance; event”
Middle English
ME
case
“occurrence; condition; lawsuit; container”
Modern English
English
case
“an instance, example, situation, legal matter, or container”