Also 5 caswelte. [ad. L. casuālitas, on model of forms like royalty, fealty, penalty; the fuller form was CASUALITY: cf. speciality, special-ty; see -TY.]
1. Chance, accident (as a state of things). ? Obs.
1423. James I., Kingis Q., xxii. Were it causit throu hevinly Influence Off goddis will, or othir casualtee.
c. 1500. Merch. & Son, in Halliwell, Nugæ Poeticæ, 23. I have seyn men bothe ryse and falle, hyt ys but caswelté!
1548. Wriothesley, Chron. (1877), II. 6. Sainct Annes church … brente by casualtie of fire.
a. 1639. W. Whateley, Prototypes, III. xxxix. (1640), 34. Sometimes by meere casualty almost they light upon a very good servant.
1779. Johnson, Pope, Wks. IV. 17. Combinations of skilful genius with happy casualty.
1856. Kane, Arct. Expl., I. 398. Of too much worth to be left to casualty.
2. A chance occurrence, an accident; esp. an unfortunate occurrence, a mishap; now, generally, a fatal or serious accident or event, a disaster. b. Mil. Used of the losses sustained by a body of men in the field or on service, by death, desertion, etc.
1494. Fabyan, VII. 336. By syknesse and other casueltyes, he loste moche of his people.
1530. Wolsey, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., II. II. 30. Ifany casueltie of deth … chaunced unto hym.
1539. Taverner, Erasm. Prov. (1552), 16 b. Betwene the cuppe and the lyppes maye come many casualties.
1608. Shaks., Per., V. i. 94. Augward casualties, bound me in seruitude.
1613. Rowlands, Knaue Harts, 29. Losses on Land, and casualties at Seas.
1655. Fuller, Hist. Camb. (1840), 20. Many sad casualties were caused by these meetings…. Arms and legs were often broken, as well as spears.
1727. Swift, Country Post, Wks. 1755, III. I. 178. Several casualties have happened this week, and the bill of mortality is very much increased.
1779. Johnson, L. P., Wks. 1816, XI. 73. He that runs against Time has an antagonist not subject to casualties.
1810. Wellington, Lett., in Gurw. Disp., VI. 480. Not enough to provide for the casualties of the service.
1861. Lond. Rev., 16 Feb., 168. The annual loss of property from casualties on our coast.
† 3. State of subjection to chance (see CASUAL 5); liability to accident; precariousness, uncertainty.
1503–4. Act 19 Hen. VII., xxv. Preamb., The casueltie of this worlde is suche & lyfe as uncertayne [etc.].
1558. Bp. Watson, Sev. Sacram., xvi. 104. The casualtie of oure frayle life.
1668. Marvell, Corr., civ. Wks. 1872–5, II. 260. Because of the distance of our lodgings and the casualty of finding one another.
1812. Monthly Rev., LXVII. 529. The casualty of public office, its distribution by accidental allotment … tended to form a gambling spirit.
† b. concr. A thing subject to chance. Obs.
1667. Primatt, City & C. Build., 6. Mines … in England, are for the most part very great casualties.
4. A casual or incidental charge or payment; spec. in Sc. Law, a payment due from a tenant or vassal on the occurrence of certain casual events. Casualty of Wards: feudal incidents accruing to superiors in ward holdings.
1529. W. Frankeleyn, in Fiddes, Wolsey (1726), II. 166. Worthe two hundrethe markes a yere of standyng rents bysids casualties.
1643. Prynne, Sov. Power Parl., II. 57. The Chauncellor … alleaging that the King was much endebted, and that he had neede retaine such casualties to himselfe.
1725. Lond. Gaz., No. 6378/3. His Majesty’s Land Rents and Casualties in Scotland.
1759. Robertson, Hist. Scot. (1817), 225. The King received the feudal casualties of the ward.
1887. Pall Mall Gaz., 4 Aug., 2/1. This right, which is known as the casualty of composition on the estate passing to a singular successor, was so irregular in its incidence, and so arbitrary, that it has been so constantly evaded, whether rightly or wrongly, as never to constitute an appreciable addition to the value of the feudal superior’s income.
5. Mining. (See quot.)
1753. Chambers, Cycl. Supp., Casualty, in the tin-mines, a word used to denote the earth and stony matter which is, by washing in the stamping-mills, &c., separated from the tin ore, before it is dried and goes to the crazing mill. [In Phil. Trans. (1678), XII. 952, and Bradley, Fam. Dict. (1725), called causalty.]
6. attrib., as in casualty ward, the ward in a hospital in which accidents are treated.
1836–7. Dickens, Sk. Boz (1850), 147/1. We were conducted to the ‘casualty ward’ in which she was lying.
1885. Barthol. Hosp. Rep., XXI. 89. The casualty department of St Bartholomew’s.
¶ Erroneous for CAUSALITY; cf. CASUAL 8.
1635. Swan, Spec. M. (1670), 296. The same thing may be both a sign and a cause…. And therefore when the Stars are called signs, their casualty is not excluded.
1668. Howe, Bless. Righteous (1825), 51. Its casualty is that of an objective cause … that operates only as it is apprehended.
