[syn: besides, in any case]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Any \A"ny\, a. & pron. [OE. [ae]ni[yogh], [ae]ni, eni, ani, oni,
AS. [=ae]nig, fr. [=a]n one. It is akin to OS. [=e]nig, OHG.
einic, G. einig, D. eenig. See One.]
1. One indifferently, out of an indefinite number; one
indefinitely, whosoever or whatsoever it may be.
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Note: Any is often used in denying or asserting without
limitation; as, this thing ought not be done at any
time; I ask any one to answer my question.
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No man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither
knoweth any man the Father, save the Son. --Matt.
xi. 27.
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2. Some, of whatever kind, quantity, or number; as, are there
any witnesses present? are there any other houses like it?
"Who will show us any good?" --Ps. iv. 6.
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Note: It is often used, either in the singular or the plural,
as a pronoun, the person or thing being understood;
anybody; anyone; (pl.) any persons.
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If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, .
. . and it shall be given him. --Jas. i. 5.
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That if he found any of this way, whether they
were men or women, he might bring them bound unto
Jerusalem. --Acts ix. 2.
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At any rate, In any case, whatever may be the state of
affairs; anyhow.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Case \Case\, n. [F. cas, fr. L. casus, fr. cadere to fall, to
happen. Cf. Chance.]
1. Chance; accident; hap; opportunity. [Obs.]
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By aventure, or sort, or cas. --Chaucer.
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2. That which befalls, comes, or happens; an event; an
instance; a circumstance, or all the circumstances;
condition; state of things; affair; as, a strange case; a
case of injustice; the case of the Indian tribes.
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In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge.
--Deut. xxiv.
13.
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If the case of the man be so with his wife. --Matt.
xix. 10.
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And when a lady's in the case
You know all other things give place. --Gay.
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You think this madness but a common case. --Pope.
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I am in case to justle a constable, --Shak.
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3. (Med. & Surg.) A patient under treatment; an instance of
sickness or injury; as, ten cases of fever; also, the
history of a disease or injury.
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A proper remedy in hypochondriacal cases.
--Arbuthnot.
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4. (Law) The matters of fact or conditions involved in a
suit, as distinguished from the questions of law; a suit
or action at law; a cause.
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Let us consider the reason of the case, for nothing
is law that is not reason. --Sir John
Powell.
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Not one case in the reports of our courts. --Steele.
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5. (Gram.) One of the forms, or the inflections or changes of
form, of a noun, pronoun, or adjective, which indicate its
relation to other words, and in the aggregate constitute
its declension; the relation which a noun or pronoun
sustains to some other word.
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Case is properly a falling off from the nominative
or first state of word; the name for which, however,
is now, by extension of its signification, applied
also to the nominative. --J. W. Gibbs.
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Note: Cases other than the nominative are oblique cases. Case
endings are terminations by which certain cases are
distinguished. In old English, as in Latin, nouns had
several cases distinguished by case endings, but in
modern English only that of the possessive case is
retained.
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Action on the case (Law), according to the old
classification (now obsolete), was an action for redress
of wrongs or injuries to person or property not specially
provided against by law, in which the whole cause of
complaint was set out in the writ; -- called also
trespass on the case, or simply case.
All a case, a matter of indifference. [Obs.] "It is all a
case to me." --L'Estrange.
Case at bar. See under Bar, n.
Case divinity, casuistry.
Case lawyer, one versed in the reports of cases rather than
in the science of the law.
Case stated or Case agreed on (Law), a statement in
writing of facts agreed on and submitted to the court for
a decision of the legal points arising on them.
A hard case, an abandoned or incorrigible person. [Colloq.]
In any case, whatever may be the state of affairs; anyhow.
In case, or In case that, if; supposing that; in the
event or contingency; if it should happen that. "In case
we are surprised, keep by me." --W. Irving.
In good case, in good condition, health, or state of body.
To put a case, to suppose a hypothetical or illustrative
case.
Syn: Situation, condition, state; circumstances; plight;
predicament; occurrence; contingency; accident; event;
conjuncture; cause; action; suit.
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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
in any case
adv 1: used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a
previous statement; "Anyhow, he is dead now"; "I think
they're asleep; anyhow, they're quiet"; "I don't know
what happened to it; anyway, it's gone"; "anyway, there
is another factor to consider"; "I don't know how it
started; in any case, there was a brief scuffle"; "in any
event, the government faced a serious protest"; "but at
any rate he got a knighthood for it" [syn: anyhow,
anyway, anyways, in any case, at any rate, in
any event]
2: making an additional point; anyway; "I don't want to go to a
restaurant; besides, we can't afford it"; "she couldn't
shelter behind him all the time and in any case he wasn't
always with her" [syn: besides, in any case]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
38 Moby Thesaurus words for "in any case":
after all, again, albeit, all the same, although, anyhow, anyway,
anywise, at all, at all events, at any rate, but, by any means,
even, even so, for all that, howbeit, however, if, in any event,
in any way, in case, in case that, in either case, irregardless,
just in case, just the same, nevertheless, nohow, nonetheless,
notwithstanding, provided, rather, regardless, still, though, when,
yet