- chase
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I. noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French chace, from chacer
Date: 13th century
1.
a. the hunting of wild animals — used with the
b. the act of chasing ; pursuit
c. an earnest or frenzied seeking after something desired
2. something pursued ; quarry
3. a tract of unenclosed land used as a game preserve
4. steeplechase 1
5. a sequence (as in a movie) in which the characters pursue one another
II. verb
(chased; chasing)
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French chacer, from Vulgar Latin *captiare — more at catch
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1.
a. to follow rapidly ; pursue
b. hunt
c. to follow regularly or persistently with the intention of attracting or alluring
2. obsolete harass
3. to seek out — often used with down <detectives chasing down clues> 4. to cause to depart or flee ; drive <chase the dog out of the garden> 5. to cause the removal of (a baseball pitcher) by a batting rally 6. to swing at (a baseball pitched out of the strike zone) intransitive verb 1. to chase an animal, person, or thing <chase after material possessions> 2. rush, hasten <chased all over town looking for a place to stay> Synonyms: chase, pursue, follow, trail mean to go after or on the track of something or someone. chase implies going swiftly after and trying to overtake something fleeing or running <a dog chasing a cat>. pursue suggests a continuing effort to overtake, reach, or attain <pursued the criminal through narrow streets>. follow puts less emphasis upon speed or intent to overtake <friends followed me home in their car>. trail may stress a following of tracks or traces rather than a visible object <trail deer> <trailed a suspect across the country>. III. transitive verb (chased; chasing) Etymology: Middle English, modification of Anglo-French enchaser to set Date: 15th century 1. a. to ornament (metal) by indenting with a hammer and tools without a cutting edge b. to make by such indentation c. to set with gems 2. a. groove, indent b. to cut (a thread) with a chaser IV. noun Etymology: French chas eye of a needle, from Late Latin capsus enclosed space, alteration of Latin capsa box — more at case Date: 1611 1. groove, furrow 2. the bore of a cannon 3. a. trench b. a channel (as in a wall) for something to lie in or pass through V. noun Etymology: probably from French châsse frame, reliquary, from Middle French chasse, from Latin capsa Date: 1612 a rectangular steel or iron frame in which letterpress matter is locked (as for printing)
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
