▪ I. care, n.1
(kɛə(r))
Forms: 1 caru, cearu, 2–4 kar(e, 4 car, 3– care.
[Common Teut.: OE. caru, cearu = OS. cara, OHG. chara, MHG. kar, Goth. kara, trouble, grief, care, ON. kör (:—karu), gen. karar, bed of trouble or sickness:—OTeut. karâ-. (In no way related to L. cura.)]
† 1. a. Mental suffering, sorrow, grief, trouble. Obs.
| Beowulf 1303 (Gr.) Cearu wæs ᵹeniwod ᵹeworden in wicim. c 1250 Hymn to God 33 in Trin. Coll. Hom. 259 Bring us ut of wo and kare. a 1300 Cursor M. 3212 Sara..deȝed..and Abraham for hir hadde care. Ibid. 3612 Þar i lig her now, in bedd o care [Trin. wo]. 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (Rolls) 3204 Þys body ȝow bar wiþ wo & kare! c 1430 Syr. Gener. 7256 Comen he is to doo vs care. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 62 Care, tristicia. 15.. Frere & Boye 23 in Ritson Anc. Pop. P. 36 Euer she dyde the lytell boye care, As fer forth as she dorste. 1596 Spenser F.Q. iv. viii. 5 Him to recomfort in his greatest care. 1648 Herrick Hesper., Sorrowes succeed, When one is passed another care we have, Thus woe succeeds a woe. 1718 Pope Iliad xvii. 89 His words infix'd unutterable care Deep in great Hector's soul. |
† b. Utterance of sorrow; lamentation, mourning.
clothing of care: mourning-dress.
Obs.| a 1000 Ags. Ps. lxxviii. 11 Geonge for þe gnornendra care [gemitus]. a 1300 Cursor M. 10419 Sco tok on hir cleþing o care. Ibid. 10444, I se þe leuedi ma sli care. |
2. Burdened state of mind arising from fear, doubt, or concern about anything; solicitude, anxiety, mental perturbation; also in
pl. anxieties, solicitudes.
† withouten care: without doubt.
† to be in care: to be troubled, anxious, concerned.
| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Luke xxi. 34 On ofer-fylle and on druncennesse and þises lifes carum. a 1240 Sawles Warde in Cott. Hom. 255 Ich habbe þeruore sar care. c 1297 R. Glouc. 457 Of þe erl of Chestre ȝe ne dorre abbe non care. c 1320 Cast. Loue 1509 O God hit is, wiþ-outen care, Of alle schaftes schuppare. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. i. 170 Þei beoþ cumbred in care · and cunnen not out-crepe. c 1420 Sir Amadace xxxi, Gode Sirs, haue ȝe no care. 1576 Gascoigne Steel Gl. (Arb.) 61 In my glasse..I can perceive how kingdomes breed but care. 1593 Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, ii. iv. 4 So Cares and Ioyes abound as Seasons fleet. 1682 N. O. Boileau's Lutrin iv. 332 Fretting Care, that kills a Cat! 1714 T. Ellwood Autobiog. (1765) 92, I was in care how to speak with some Friend about it. 1796–7 Coleridge Poems (1862) 2 The sorrow-clouded breast of Care. 1864 Tennyson En. Ard. 222 Cast all your cares on God. 1884 Illust. Lond. News 27 Sept. 307/3 Black care who sits behind the horseman. |
3. a. Serious or grave mental attention; the charging of the mind with anything; concern; heed, heedfulness, attention, regard; caution, pains.
| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Luke x. 40 Nis þe nan caru [1160 care] þæt min swustur let me ænlipie þenian. 1548 Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. Matt. xxvi. 116 Buryed with the busy care of a noble man. 1580 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 320 Dost thou now commit Idolatrie with them with-out care? 1616 R. C. Times' Whis. v. 1673 Many..only vse their care In dainty banquetes. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 791 His Mother's Precepts he performs with Care. 1742 Pope Dunc. iv. 431 Rose or carnation was below my care. 1828 Scott F.M. Perth (1860) Introd. 10 Mustaches which had lately been arranged with some care. 1847 Tennyson Princ. Prol. 171 As a parrot turns..And takes a lady's finger with all care. |
b. Const.
of (
arch.),
for, and
inf. Here, and in c, the sense may pass,
esp. in negative construction, to Regard arising from desire or estimation, liking, inclination
to or
for.
| c 1400 Destr. Troy 427 Criste on the crosse for our care deghit. 1590 Greene Poems (1861) 295 Care to live or sweet delight in life Draws me. 1623 Lisle ælfric on O. & N.T. Judg., They worshipped the God of heaven with care of his commandements. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. i. xii. 52 Man, which looks too far before him, in the care of future time. 1705 I. Norris in Pa. Hist. Soc. Mem. X. 82 They stand in care of nobody's censure. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. xxxviii, If any care for what is here Survive in spirits render'd free. 1863 Geo. Eliot Romola I. (1880) Introd. 8 Public spirit..its essence is care for a common good. |
c. to have a care,
† keep a care,
take care.
| 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. v. ii. 511 We will turne it finely off sir, we wil take some care. 1590 ― Mids. N. iv. i. 15 Good Mounsieur haue a care the hony bag breake not. 1596 ― Tam. Shr. i. i. 191 He tooke some care To get her cunning Schoolemasters to instruct her. 1610 ― Temp. ii. i. 301 If of life you keep a care, Shake off slumber and beware. 1677 Moxon Mech. Exerc. (1703) 221 You must take great care, that the Solid Ball..be..exactly Spherical. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 160 Take a timely Care to bring the Truants back. 1819 Byron Juan i. xiii, For native Spanish she had no great care. 1876 Black Madcap V. xviii. 161 ‘Have a care, Jack!’ Peter called out. |
4. a. Charge; oversight with a view to protection, preservation, or guidance. In the address of a letter or package ‘
care of ―’.
in care of (
U.S.):
= care of.
| c 1400 Destr. Troy 6196 Noble knightes all, Vnder care of two kynges. 1560 Bible (Genev.) 2 Cor. xi. 28, I..have the care of all the Churches. 1647–8 Sir C. Cotterell Davila's Hist. Fr. (1678) 4 He left the Care of the whole Enterprize. 1710 Prideaux Orig. Tithes ii. 67 Upon the Evangelical Priesthood..is incumbent..to take on them the Care of their Souls. 1841 Lane Arab. Nts. I. 99, I commend thee to the care of God. 1850 Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. xxiii. 230 ‘I'll take her under my care.’ 1852 Dickens Bleak Ho., Address to Nemo, care of Mr. Krook. 1875 Jevons Money (1878) 207 The ship-master..is obliged to retain the identical cases committed to his care. 1917 S. Merwin Temperamental Henry 256 If you care to write a good-bye, address me in care of the ship. 1928 N. & Q. 4 Aug. 90 If owners of such letters will write to me in care of the Oxford University Press. 1967 Boston Sunday Globe 23 Apr. B. 63/7 Questions on home improvement and repair may be addressed to The House Doctor in care of this newspaper. |
b. Hence
to have the care of, etc.
to take care of: to look after (see
look v. 12 f); to deal with, provide for, dispose of.
| 1579 Tomson Calvin's Serm. Tim. 363/2 O Lorde..I thanke thee, for that thou vouchsafest to haue care vppon so wretched a creature as I am. 1582 N. T. (Rhem.) Luke x. 32 [He] brought him into an Inne, and tooke care of him. 1611 Bible Pref. 2 It doth certainely belong vnto Kings to haue care of Religion. 1620 Shelton Quix. III. xxxiii. 240, I desired this Waiting-woman to have a Care on him. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 37 ¶4 She has no Children to take care of. a 1724, etc. [see penny 9 h]. 1747 Ld. Chesterfield Let. 6 Nov. (1932) III. 1051, I recommend to you to take care of minutes; for hours will take care of themselves. 1762 Boswell London Jrnl. 31 Dec. (1950) 113 She mentioned one consequence that in an affair of gallantry might be troublesome... ‘Why, to be sure, if such a person should appear, he must be taken care of.’ 1801 T. Jefferson Let. 18 Sept. in Writings (1897) VIII. 94 We are bound to take care of them. Could we not procure them as good berths as their former at least, in some of the custom-houses? 1816 Jane Austen Emma II. xvi. 309 Young ladies should take care of themselves.—Young ladies are delicate plants. They should take care of their health and their complexion. 1847 Tennyson Princ. iii. 69 She had the care of Lady Ida's youth. 1861 Mill Repr. Govt. ii. 22 Things left to take care of themselves inevitably decay. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 173 You take care of your money. 1925 Ladies' Home Jrnl. May 26/2 ‘Never mind, ma. I'll take care of them,’ put in Edd. 1926 Publishers' Weekly 22 May 1709/2 Such an information desk should take care of all inquiries regarding books and reading. 1930 Ibid. 31 May 2728 The budget..was not sufficient to take care of the increasing expenses. 1931 H. F. Pringle Theodore Roosevelt i. xiv. 198 He..found himself besieged with petitions for jobs... It was impossible to take care of all of them. 1932 Atlantic Monthly Apr. 421/2 Money..which would enable him to take care of all arrears on the property. 1959 Listener 9 Apr. 628/1 That little problem had been taken care of. |
c. (in need of) care or (also and) protection, a legal formula (see
quot. 1933) used of a destitute or dangerously circumstanced child who is judged fit for official guardianship; also
attrib., as
care or (and) protection order, one by which a magistrate effects such guardianship; also
ellipt., as
care order;
in care, under official guardianship.
| 1932 Act 22 & 23 Geo. V c. 46 §9 (heading) Juveniles in need of Care or Protection. 1933 Act 23 Geo. V c. 12 §61 For the purposes of this Act a child or young person in need of care or protection means a person who is (a) a child..who, having no parent or guardian.., is either falling into bad associations, or exposed to moral danger, or beyond control; or (b) a child..in respect of whom any of the offences mentioned in..this Act has been committed; [etc.]. 1944 A. E. Ikin Education Act 1944 102 Children and young persons in need of care and protection. 1948 Act 11 & 12 Geo. VI c. 43 §10 (heading) Duty of parents to maintain contact with local authorities having their children in care. 1969 Listener 15 May 666/1 The family..ends with the father in lodgings and the mother and children in a hostel (and frequently some children in care). 1969 Children & Young Persons Act 17 & 18 Eliz. II c. 54 §20 (1) Any provision of this Act authorising the making of a care order in respect of any person shall be construed as authorising the making of an order committing him to the care of a local authority. 1985 Daily Tel. 30 Apr. 3/1 On August 17 an interim care order was made, and at a case conference three days later it was decided to place the children with foster parents. |
5. a. An object or matter of care, concern, or solicitude.
| 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. x. 37 Gathered the Princes..To taken counsell of their common cares. 1634 Bp. Hall Occas. Med. §123 The main care of any creature is self-preservation. 1732 Berkeley Alciphr. i. §1. 1750 Gray Elegy vi, Or busy housewife ply her evening care. 1812 Byron Ch. Har. i. ix, Pomp and power alone are woman's care. 1855 Tennyson To Rev. F. D. Maurice, Come, when no graver cares employ. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 298 He could not himself spare the time from cares of state. |
b. of persons and things.
Cf. ‘
youthful charge’.
| 1697 Dryden Virg. Past. ii. 59 Come to my longing Arms, my lovely Care. 1704 Pope Messiah 49 The good shepherd tends his fleecy care. 1735 Somerville Chase ii. 465 Each watchful Eye Fix'd on his youthful Care. 1863 Aytoun in Tales fr. Blackwood IX. 39 Wintry frosts shall never see The rose that is my care! |
6. Comb. a. attrib., as
care-line,
care-wrinkle;
care-and-maintenance attrib., describing a building, area, etc., maintained in good condition though not in present use;
care-bed, a bed of suffering or grief;
care-committee, a committee which charges itself with the care of the poor;
care-labelling, the securing of labels on clothes and fabrics, giving advice about cleaning and ironing processes; so
care-label;
† care-weed, mourning attire.
b. objective, (
a) with
pr. pples. forming
adjs., as
care-bewitching,
care-bringing,
care-charming,
care-defying,
care-drowning,
care-eluding; (
b) with
vbl. ns. or agent-nouns forming
ns., as
care-charmer,
care-killing, etc.;
c. instrumental, as
care-accloyed,
care-crazed,
care-crossed,
care-encumbered,
care-fraught,
care-laden,
care-lined,
care-pined,
care-scorched,
care-tired,
care-tuned,
care-untroubled,
care-wounded, etc., and
esp. care-worn. Also
care-taker, -taking, etc.
| 1596 C. Fitzgeffrey Sir F. Drake (1881) 81 Poore *care-accloyed pilgrime traveler. |
| 1930 Economist 13 Sept. 475/1 Once estates are put on to a ‘*care and maintenance’ basis, it will take a considerable increase in price to bring them back into production. 1958 Times Rev. Industry Aug. 40/2 Two former..sites (one of which had been kept on a partial care-and-maintenance basis) were reopened. |
| a 1400 Sir Perc. lxvii, The kyng to *Carebedd es gane. 1768 Ross Helenore 56 (Jam.) In care-bed lair for three lang hours she lay. |
| 1645 Quarles Sol. Recant. vii. 5 *Care-bewitching sweets. |
| 1597 Drayton Mortimer. 72 Prest with a *care-bringing Crowne. |
| 1592 Daniel Delia Wks. (1717) 415 *Care-Charmer Sleep, Son of the sable Night. |
| 1908 Times 3 Feb. 11/5 He had been told to devote the whole of his time to assisting the *Care Committee. 1909 M. Frere Children's Care Committees 35 In 1902 the name [sc. Charitable Funds Committee] was changed to Children's Relief Committee, and finally, in 1908, to Children's Care Committee. 1931 W. Holtby Poor Caroline v. 157 He schooled his..sense of humour to docility in the face of care committees and church workers. |
| 1594 Shakes. Rich. III, iii. vii. 184 A *care-crazed mother of a many sonnes. |
| 1876 M. Arnold Lit. & Dogma 249 *Care-crossed, toil-stained millions. |
| 1802 Lamb Corr. cxliii. (1870) 376 *Care-drowning night. |
| 1730 Thomson Autumn 605 With every gentle *care-eluding art. |
| 1841–6 Longfellow Bridge xii, Thousands of *care-encumbered men. |
| 1835 Willis Pencillings II. lvii. 140 Their *care-fraught profession. |
| 1962 Rep. Comm. Consumer Protection 39 in Parl. Papers 1961–62 (Cmnd. 1781) XII. 317 The next topic we explored in relation to clothing and textiles was the very important subject of *care-labelling. 1967 Spectator 1 Dec. 682/1 The most recent spot check by Which? found that only two thirds of garments had care labels of any kind. |
| 1880 Burton Q. Anne III. xiv. 11 Whispers and *care-laden looks. |
| 1603 Dekker Grissill Wks. 1886 V. 115 Coy dames, who..Fly the *care-pined hearts that sue to them. |
| 1610 Histriom. iii. 68 Cast water on the *care-scorcht face. |
| 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, iii. ii. 92 My *care-tun'd tongue. 1611 A. Stafford Niobe ii. 241 (T.) [The nightingale] begins to carol out her care-tuned musick. |
| 1794 Burns Wks. IV. 279 *Care-Untroubl'd, joy-surrounded. |
| c 1500 Dunbar Tua Mariit Wem. 422, I go to the kirk, cled in *cair weid. |
| 1828 Carlyle Misc. (1857) I. 219 His *careworn heart. 1856 Dickens Lett. (1880) I. 443 A face too careworn for her years. 1882 Three in Norway xix. 149 We met a very careworn-looking man. |
| 1627 May Lucan v. (T.) Cornelia, his *care-wounded breast clasping. |
▸ The attention and treatment given to a patient by a doctor or other health worker.
| 1658 J. Shirley Honoria & Mammon iii. 44 My Doctor, to whose care, and art I owe my lungs, and life. 1693 T. D'Urfey Richmond Heiress i. i. 6 Sir Char. Doctor, look well to your Patient... Guiac. Fear not, Sir, my Care and Medicines will work the desired Effect. 1744 J. Armstrong Art Preserv. Health iii. 515 For want of timely care Millions have died of medicable wounds. 1800 Med. Jrnl. 4 201 Diseases admitted under the Care of the Physicians..[included] Urticaria. 1850 J. S. Blackie Choephoræ 135 Disease that no physician's care Makes sound again! 1928 Jrnl. Royal Anthropol. Inst. 58 290 So efficient have the natives become that mis-set bones come under the care of the American doctors with surprising infrequency. 1985 Sci. Amer. Apr. 94/3 On the day of the operation the anesthesiologist begins care by setting up..the monitoring devices needed to provide information about the function of vital-organ systems. 2000 Independent 3 May i. 2/1 There are significant issues regarding the quality control of standards of care, including nurse staffing levels and skill mix. |
▸
care assistant n. a person,
esp. one with no formal training in nursing, employed to assist with routine patient care in a hospital, nursing home or similar institution, or to visit the elderly or infirm at home.
| 1972 Wandsworth Boro' News 6 Oct. 21/3 *Care assistants required at home for 90 elderly people situated in the Wimbledon Common/Putney area. 1991 Young People Now 22 Feb. 31/3 She is currently being considered for a permanent post as a care assistant. 1997 Community Care 17 July 24/1 It seems bizarre that a care assistant visiting elderly clients in their own homes should have to fix a circuit breaker. |
▸
care attendant n. a person employed,
esp. on a part-time basis, to relieve a carer (
carer n. b).
| 1975 Wandsworth Boro' News 8 Aug. 17/3 (advt.) *Care attendants for the elderly. 1991 Pract. Health Jan.–Feb. 58/2 Diana is worried about how to pay for the home help her mother needs, and she's been thinking about hiring a care attendant for the times when she just cannot be with her. 2001 Vancouver Sun (Nexis) 23 Feb. d7 Our main character..is a poisonously sexist pig who takes out his anger about being stuck in a wheelchair on all the poorly paid care attendants and social workers who just want to help. |
▸
caregiver n. orig. U.S. a person, typically either a professional or close relative, who looks after a child, elderly person, invalid, etc.; a carer.
| 1966 R. A. Mackey ((Catholic Univ. of Amer. Stud. in Social Work, No. 43)) (title) The meaning of mental illness to *caregivers and mental health agents. 1988 Independent 16 Mar. 19/4 The term nanny tends to be avoided, and substitutes range from babysitter to..the latest, ‘caregiver’. 2000 Monitor (Kampala) 28 Apr. 18/3 Sociologists will tell you that in cultures where women are valued for traditional roles of mother and caregiver, hips are in. |
▸
caregiving adj. and
n. (a) adj. characterized by attention to the needs of others,
esp. those unable to look after themselves adequately; professionally involved in the provision of health or social care;
(b) n. attention to the needs of a child, elderly person, invalid, etc.
| 1966 Man 1 336 Humans possess an innate releasing mechanism which ensures that epimelitic or *care-giving behaviour is released by the sign stimuli provided by the human baby. 1972 A. S. Honig & J. R. Lally (title) Infant caregiving: a design for training. 1991 Christian Sci. Monitor 30 Dec. 20/4 When children's well-being is at stake, the price is never right if the care-giving is inadequate. 2000 N.Y. Times 3 Aug. g9/4 The caregiving industry is so fragmented..and there's such an imbalance with demand and supply that people who aren't that good go from job to job making the same money. |
▸
care group n. (a) a group of patients requiring or receiving a particular type of medical care;
(b) U.S. a group of people who promote the interests of others who are disadvantaged in some way;
(c) a group of people who aim to provide emotional support for each other.
| 1976 Nursing Times 17 June (Occasional Papers) 88/3 Patients in *care groups 1 and 2 (self-care) received most correct care, followed by care groups 4 and 5 (intensive care) with least correct care for patients in care group 3 (intermediate care). 1977 Washington Post 20 Jan. dc7/6 ‘It seems that they don't care,’ said Linda Purdue, director of the Gerus Society, an elderly care group that has protested the law. 1982 Christian Sci. Monitor (Nexis) 17 Feb. 20, I know the home is an endangered species, but maybe these new neighborhood care-groups will help to bring families together. 1989 Boston Globe 20 Dec. 85/4 Jeff, who has become a national symbol of the human-animal bond, makes fundraising appearances around the country for Alzheimer's disease care groups. 1991 Pink Paper 30 Mar. 13/2 What do you do when you're down? I cry. I get my care group round. They bring me plants and we drink gin. |
▸
care in the community n. and
adj. (a) n. medical or social care,
esp. of the mentally ill, disabled, or elderly, which is provided within the community (
esp. by relatives) rather than in hospitals or other institutions; (
spec. in Britain) a Government policy and programme (originally introduced under the terms of the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990) with the aim of reducing the institutional provision of long-term care for such patients;
(b) adj. (
usu. with hyphen), designating a person on this programme; (also
colloq. and
derogatory) regarded as being or resembling such a person.
| [1968 Jrnl. Royal Coll. General Practitioners 15 175 (heading) Medical care in the community. The future role of the medical officer of health.] 1977 P. Mittler Day Services for Mentally Handicapped Adults (Nat. Devel. Group for Mentally Handicapped) ii. 11 There should be a reorientation in the mental health services away from institutional care towards care in the community. 1988 Social Work Today 17 Mar. 3/1 The minister, supported by an implementation team, would regulate the process of care in the community. 1995 Daily Tel. 9 Feb. 17/2, I have already heard my daughter and her friends refer to a scruffy-looking boy as ‘he looks a bit care-in-the-community’. 1996 Independent 21 Feb. 17/1 Thus came the first political recognition of one of the main failings afflicting the care in the community programme: the way it fails to cope with schizophrenics and other seriously mentally-ill patients who need long-term, round-the-clock support. 1996 Independent 21 Feb. 17/2 Care in the community began its life as an idea almost 40 years ago. 1999 Evening Standard (Electronic ed.) 18 Sept. It took seven officers using CS spray to restrain the 6ft 7in care-in-the community patient. |
▸
care worker n. chiefly
Brit. a person employed to look after the interests of vulnerable, infirm, or disadvantaged people or those under the care of the state,
esp. by providing support and supervising their progress.
| 1980 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 27 Sept. 847/1 A patient who is tube-fed may be bed-ridden for years..with no mental contact with the *care-workers. 1993 Independent 28 Jan. 13/7 The Department of the Environment is providing three-year funding, from April, to develop parallel work with care workers on creative ‘profiles’ of the disabled. 2001 Derby Evening Tel. (Nexis) 12 Jan. 3 He was..cleared of threatening to kill four care workers who he believed were destroying a relationship he had formed on leaving prison. |
▪ II. † care, n.2 Obs. Some kind of stuff. (Perh. the same word as
cary.)
| 1429 Test. Ebor. (1836) I. 420 A russet cloke, lynd w{supt} care aboute y⊇ schuldyrs. a 1440 Sir Eglam. lxxi, Thys lady was in care cladd. |
▪ III. care, n.3 (
kɛə(r))
The name for the Mountain Ash, in the south-west of England.
| 1849 Kingsley in Life I. 173 (D.) Of old Dartmoor was a forest..its hill-sides clothed with birch, oak, and ‘care’. 1880 W. Cornw. Gloss. (E.D.S.) Care, the mountain ash. |
▪ IV. care, v. (
kɛə(r))
Forms: 1
carian,
cearian, 2–3
carien, 3–4
car,
kar, 4–
care.
[Com. Teut.: OE. carian = OS. carôn, OHG. charôn, -ên, MHG. caren, karn, Goth. karôn:—OTeut. *karôjan to mourn, sorrow, have trouble, trouble oneself, f. *karâ- care n.1] † 1. a. To sorrow or grieve.
Obs.| a 1000 Crist 277 (Gr.) Hwæt bemurnest ðu ceariᵹende. a 1175 Cott. Hom. 243 Þa cearodon þa sunder halȝan. c 1230 Hali Meid. 27 Moni þing schal ham wraððen..ant makie to carien. 1350 Will. Palerne 3182 Whi carestow? sede þe quene. c 1400 Pol. Poems (1859) II. 4 The lond..for defalte of help hath longe cared. 1530 Palsgr. 475/1, I care for his losses, Je me chagrine de ses pertes. |
† b. To mourn, lament.
Obs.| a 1300 Cursor M. 3212 Sarra..deid..and abraham can for hir car. c 1386 Chaucer Clerk's T. 1156 Lat hym care and wepe and wryng and waille. |
2. † a. To be troubled, uneasy, or anxious (
obs.).
b. To feel concern (great or little), be concerned, trouble oneself, feel interest. Also in
colloq. phrases expressing or implying lack of interest or concern:
for all I care,
see if I care,
who cares?| Beowulf 1536 Na [man] ymb his lif cearað. a 1225 Ancr. R. 48 Sore mei anoðer of hire fluht carien. c 1300 Beket 1573 Ich wole sigge..whi ich carie so. c 1340 Cursor M. 11675 (Fairf.), I care mare for a-noþer þing. c 1460 Towneley Myst. 88 (Mätz) Ye nede not to care if ye folow my sawe. 1535 Coverdale 1 Sam. ix. 20 As for the Asses..care not thou for them for they are founde. 1593 Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, iii. i. 173 Those that care to keepe your royall Person. 1611 Bible 2 Sam. xviii. 3 Neither if halfe of vs die will they care for vs. 1844 ‘J. Slick’ High Life N.Y. I. vi. 68, I didn't exactly like the feel of it, but ‘Who cares’, sez I to myself. 1856 Froude Hist. Eng. (1858) I. v. 421 He cared only..for his own interests. 1856 Harper's Mag. Sept. 561/2 Who cares? 1861 Faber Hymn, ‘Sweet Saviour’, Labour is sweet, for Thou hast toiled; And care is light, for Thou hast cared. 1931 Maclean's Mag. 15 Dec. 24/2 ‘I'll be killed,’ the man gasped. ‘Who cares?’ was the brutal reply. 1934 J. Hilton Goodbye Mr. Chips! viii. 55 You can go to blazes for all I care. 1947 V. M. Axline Play Therapy 356 Fall on the floor, damn you! See if I care. |
c. To be careful, to take care. Now only
dial.| a 1593 H. Smith Serm. (1637) 302 It is not enough to heare but you must care how you heare; it is not enough to pray, but you must care how you pray. Ibid. (1866) II. 47 Let them which are down care to rise. 1883 Harper's Mag. Jan. 200/2 Unless a man cares to fall her right, she'll break all up. |
3. to care for: to take thought for, provide for, look after, take care of. Also with
indirect pass.| c 1230 Hali Meid. 5 He wile carien for hire. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. ii. 161 Þanne cared þei for caplus to kairen hem þider. 1535 Coverdale Ps. xxxix. 17, I am poore & in mysery, but the Lorde careth for me. 1607 Shakes. Cor. i. i. 79 Who care for you like Fathers? 1676 Hale Contempl. i. 183 He careth for us that knows what is fittest for us. 1858 Geo. Eliot Scenes Clerical Life, Janet's Repentance xxv. 318 Infinite Love was caring for her. 1887 Manch. Guard. 14 Apr. 7 The child had..been well cared for. |
4. In negative and conditional construction:
a. not to care passes from the notion of ‘not to trouble oneself’, to those of ‘not to mind, not to regard or pay any deference or attention, to pay no respect, be indifferent’. Const.
for, etc.
| c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon vi. 139, I departed fro my londe poure & exyled but I dyd not care for it. 1535 Coverdale Matt. xxii. 16 Master we knowe that thou..carest for no man. 1596 Spenser F.Q. ii. ii. 18 Ne ought he car'd whom he endamaged By tortious wrong. 1610 Shakes. Temp. i. i. 18 What cares these roarers for the name of King? 1633 P. Fletcher Pisc. Ecl. v. 28 Full little caren they To make their milkie mothers bleating stay. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 145 ¶4 The young Man is rich, and, as the Vulgar say, needs not care for any body. 1748 Thomson Cast. Indol. ii. iii, I care not, Fortune, what you me deny. a 1774 Goldsm. Hist. Greece II. 61 This important pass, which Philip did not care attempting to force. 1816 J. Wilson City of Plague ii. iv. 174 In thy embrace what do I care for death. 1871 Morley Voltaire (1878) 3 Men had almost ceased to care whether there be any moral order or not. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) III. 13 Cephalus appears not to care about riches. 1883 Lloyd Ebb & Fl. I. 18, I don't care what people say. |
(
a) with some strengthening word, as
a pin,
a button,
a straw,
a rush,
a fig,
a farthing,
a rap, etc.
| 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. ii. 12 He..cared not for God or man a point. 1633 Marmyon Fine Compan. ii. i. 68, I do not care a pin for her. 1709 Steele Tatler No. 50, I do not care a farthing for you. 1760 Goldsm. Cit. W. xlvi, Not that I care three damns what figure I may cut. 1828 Thaumaturgus 23 If for the truth you care a button. 1856 R. Vaughan Mystics (1860) I. 4 A subject..for which not ten of your friends care a straw. 1876 Geo. Eliot Dan. Der. 236, I don't care a toss where you are. Ibid. 211 You suppose I care a damn for that? 1880 Spurgeon Treas. Dav. II. 4 Pharisees care not a fig for the Lord's hearing them. |
(
b)
Sc. to care na by: not to care about (it).
| 1788 E. Picken Poems I. 189 (Jam.) Alake, she cared na by. a 1796 Burns My Nannie O. viii, Come weal, come woe, I care na by. |
(
c)
Colloq. phr. (I, etc.) couldn't care less: (I am, etc.) completely uninterested, utterly indifferent;
freq. as
phr. used
attrib. Hence
couldn't-care-less-ness.
| 1946 A. Phelps (title) ‘I couldn't care less.’ 1947 B. Marshall Red Danube vi. 53 The couldn't-care-less boys, the chaps who imagined that now that the war was over there was no need for further effort. 1947 People 22 June 2/4 If I suggest that it should be good because the book was by a top-line author she simply couldn't care less. 1955 Essays in Criticism V. 76 Exhibiting a vulgar couldn't-carelessness. 1957 F. H. King Man on Rock iv. 120 The phrase he most used was ‘I couldn't care less’: which seemed to sum up his character. 1965 Times Lit Suppl. 25 Nov. 1083/1 The couldn't-care-less attitude of people with little to lose. |
(
d)
U.S. colloq. phr. (I, etc.) could care less = sense (
c) above, with omission of negative.
| 1966 Seattle Post-Intelligencer 1 Nov. 21/2 My husband is a lethargic, indecisive guy who drifts along from day to day. If a bill doesn't get paid he could care less. 1973 Washington Post 5 Jan. b1/1 A few crusty-souled Republican senators who could care less about symbolic rewards. 1978 J. Carroll Mortal Friends iii. iii. 281 ‘I hate sneaking past your servants in the morning.’ ‘They know, anyway. They could care less. Thornton mistreats them horribly.’ |
b. Not to mind (something proposed); to have no disinclination or objection, be disposed
to. Now only with
if,
though.
| 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 18 Some for a fewe tythes, with Cayn, careth not to lese the eternall rychesse of heuen. c 1590 Marlowe Dido iv. v, So you'll love me, I care not if I do. 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, i. ii. 142, I care not if I be your Physitian. 1611 Florio, Scrócca il fuso..a light-heeled trull that cares not to horne hir husband. 1646 Row Hist. Kirk (1842) 324 We care not to lett you see what we wrot up to the King. 1748 Richardson Clarissa (1811) V. 265 Will you eat, or drink, friend?.. I dont care if I do. 1841 Gresley C. Lever 58, I don't care if I go with you for once. |
5. To have a regard or liking for.
Orig. only in neg. or
interrog. constructions (‘not to regard’ as in 4 a); now also in affirmative, but usually as the alternative or negative of an implied negation.
a. To have a regard, liking, or inclination
for (a thing); to be inclined or disposed
to, to think it worth while
to do.
| 1560 A. L. tr. Calvin's Foure Serm. iii. (R.) He cared for nothing more then that kynde of lyfe. 1631 Gouge God's Arrows iii. §4. 189 Malice..onely careth to satisfie its owne venomous humour. 1697 W. Dampier Voy. I. ix. 275 We..baked of these Roots..but none of us greatly cared for them. 1762 Goldsm. Nash 12 He never cared to give money. 1868 J. H. Blunt Ref. Ch. Eng. I. 98 Few cared for reformation; many cared for destruction. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) III. 511 They become rulers in their own city if they care to be. 1883 H. Wace Gospel & Witn. ii. 36 The main positions for which a Christian writer cares to contend. |
b. To have regard, fondness, or attachment
for (a person).
| c 1530 Ld. Berners Arth. Lyt. Bryt. (1814) 244, I care not for hym that is ayenst my heart. 1590 Lodge Euphues Gold. Leg. (1887) 163 Creep not to her that cares not for thee. 1657 R. Ligon Barbadoes 47 He never car'd much for her afterward. 1750 Lady Hervey in Bk. of Days II. 299, I dread to see people I care for quite easy and happy. 1878 Mrs. H. Wood Pomeroy Ab. I. vi. 93 She was sure she cared for the lord at heart. |
6. trans. in various senses:
† a. To cause care to, trouble (
obs.).
† b. To care for, regard (
obs.).
c. To take care of, guard, preserve with care (
dial.).
| [c 1230 Hali Meid. 29 Lutel þarf þe carien for þin anes liueneð.] c 1386 Chaucer Miller's T. 112 Nay ther of care thee noght quod Nicholas. c 1420 Iudicium (1822) 13 The day is comen of Catyfnes all those to care that ar uncleyn. c 1565 Lindesay Pitscottie Chron. 301 (Jam.) He cares you not in his just quarrell. 1612 Jas. I in Ellis Orig. Lett. i. 266 III. 106 Ye littill care youre olde freindis. 1628 Feltham Resolves I. 76 (L.) Care them [jewels] up, and wear them but on festivals. 1881 Mrs. P. O'Donoghue Ladies on Horseb. vi. 84 If you care your things..it is surprising how long they may be made to serve. |
▪ V. care var. of
chare,
Obs.