case
Definitions
An instance, situation, or set of circumstances.
情形，情况，事例。
A matter under investigation, in court, or in medicine.
案件；病例。
In grammar, a form of a noun or pronoun showing its role (e.g. nominative case).
（语法）格，如主格。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedFrom cas- (the perfect stem of cadere, 'to fall'), via Latin casus = 'a falling, that which has fallen out' → how things turned out, a situation. From 'the way it fell out' came 'an instance/situation' (in that case), then 'a matter for the law or doctor' (a court case, a flu case), and even the grammatical 'case' — Latin scholars used casus to mean how a noun 'falls' into its role in a sentence.
Root cad still carries 18 more wordsWhy It Means This
It's surprising that case (a situation) and case (a box) feel like one word but split from two roots. The 'situation' case is from cadere 'to fall' (casus = how things fell out). The 'box/container' case is from Latin capsa (a holder) — unrelated. So in 'a case of wine' the box meaning is at work, while 'in any case' and 'a court case' carry the falling-out, what-happened meaning. The grammatical 'case' is a neat metaphor: a noun 'falls' into nominative, accusative, etc., depending on its job.
Usage Guide
- in case (of) — as a precaution: take an umbrella in case it rains.
- in any case / in that case — connectors: regardless / if so.
- a case for/against — an argument: make a case for hybrid work.
- court / police / medical case — formal matter under handling.
Note: the 'container' senses (suitcase, in case = box) are a separate word from Latin capsa, even though spelled the same.
Example Sentences
- 1.
In that case, we should leave earlier than planned.
- 2.
The lawyer built a strong case for her client.
- 3.
There were three new cases of the flu this week.
- 4.
Take a jacket in case it gets cold tonight.