casualty
//ˈkaʒʊ.əlti//
Forms
- Plural
- casualties
Definitions
1.Something that happens by chance, especially an unfortunate event; an accident, a disaster.
2.A person suffering from injuries or who has been killed due to an accident or through an act of violence.
3.Specifically, a person who has been killed (not only injured) due to an accident or through an act of violence; a fatality.
4.A person in military service who becomes unavailable for duty, for any reason (notably death, injury, illness, capture, or desertion).
Frequency
Overall
Rare· #5010
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Rare
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
Related words
Word family
Etymology
From casual, from Middle French casuel, from Medieval Latin casualitas and Late Latin cāsuālis (“happening by chance”), from Latin cāsus (“event”) (English case), from cadere (“to fall”).