▪ I. cass n.
short for cassino, q.v.
▪ II. † cass, a. Obs.
[ad. L. cassus empty, void, vain. Cf. cass v. The word in quot. 1549 may be meant for F. cassés.]
a. Dismissed, cashiered. b. Void, null.
| 1549 Ld. Prot. Somerset to Sir P. Hoby 24 Aug. (cf. Strype Eccl. Mem. II. App. EE), The Ruffens among them and Souldyeres Cases wh. be the chefe doeres. a 1651 Calderwood Hist. Kirk (1843) II. 228 The sentence pronounced by the said Bishop of Rosse against the said James, in pœna contumaciæ, to be casse and null. |
▪ III. † cass, v. Obs. exc. Sc.
[a. F. casser to break, annul, cashier, the form of which can be derived only from L. quassāre to dash or break in pieces, which appears also to have in later times annexed the senses of L. cassāre to bring to nought, annul, f. cassus empty, void, vain. The latter would have given, in F., chasser. Also in form cash; see quash, and cf. cashier, also cast v.]
1. To make void, annul, quash. (Now chiefly in Sc. Law.)
| 1460 J. Capgrave Chron. 153 Whan this eleccion came to the Pope, he cassed it. 1509–10 Act 1 Hen. VIII, xix. Preamb., His lettres patentes..cassed and made voyde. 1559–66 Hist. Estate Scot. in Misc. Wodrow Soc. (1844) 57 That court wes cast. 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. 57 That brieve is nulle, and may be cassen. 1687 Royal Proclam. 12 Feb. in Lond. Gaz. No. 2221/4 We..Do therefore, with Advice and Consent aforesaid, Cass. Annul and Discharge all Oaths whatsoever. c 1700 in Sc. Pasquils (1868) 185 Young Stairs..the King entic'd To cass the laws. 1851 Orig. Paroch. Scot. I. 333 Pope Benedict XIII..had cassed and annulled all annexations of churches. |
2. To discharge, dismiss; disband, cashier.
(In this sense the pa. pple. cassed was completely confused with cast from cast v. 27.)
| 1550 [see cassing below]. 1601 R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. 200 When he casseth any gouernor of his prouince. a 1616 Beaum. & Fl. Valentin. ii. iii, Pontius, you are cast. 1622–62 Heylin Cosmogr. iii. (1673) 136/1 Constantine the Great had cassed the Prætorian Souldiers. 1709 Strype A.R. Introd. §2. 20 To discharge and casse many others. |
Hence cassed ppl. a., cassing vbl. n. and ppl. a.
| 1550 Prol. 4 Edw. VI in N. & Q. 11 Oct. (1856) 287 Vntill the daie of their cassyng and dismission. 1611 Cotgr., Malandrin, a cassed souldior. 1638 in Sc. Pasquils (1868) 32 Cassing acts of Parlament. 1844 Outram Lyrics (1874) 14 An evendown cassin' o' the bargain. |
▪ IV. cass
obs. form of case n.