| case |
| Definition: The form a noun, adjective, or pronoun takes to show its relationship to other words in the sentence. |
| Example: The word he becomes him when it is the object of the verb. |
| Etymology: The word derives via Old French from the Latin casus, a falling (from cadere, to fall). |
| Oxford English Dictionary: Its first citation in its grammatical sense is from 1393: "[As] adiectif and substantyf vnite asken Acordaunce in kynde in cas and in numbre." (Langl. P. Pl. C. iv. 339) |