Dictionary

casualty en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈkæʒəlti/ (US)
• (US) audio
• /ˈkæʒu.əlti/ (US)
• /ˈkaʒəlti/ (UK)
• /ˈkaʒʊ.əlti/ (UK)
• /ˈkaʒʊlti/ (UK)

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”). Originally meaning “a chance event” (compare casual, as in “casual encounter”), it developed a negative meaning as “an unfortunate event”, especially the loss of a person.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) Something that happens by chance, especially an unfortunate event; an accident, a disaster.
   • 1756, Samuel Johnson, “The Life of Sir Thomas Browne” in Thomas Browne, Christian Morals, 2nd edition, London: J. Payne, p. xx, The course of his education was like that of others, such as put him little in the way of extraordinary casualties.
2. (countable, uncountable) A person suffering from injuries or who has been killed due to an accident or through an act of violence.
3. (countable, proscribed, uncountable) Specifically, a person who has been killed (not only injured) due to an accident or through an act of violence; a fatality.
4. (countable, uncountable) A person in military service who becomes unavailable for duty, for any reason (notably death, injury, illness, capture, or desertion).
5. (UK, abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, countable, uncountable) Clipping of casualty department: the accident and emergency department of a hospital providing immediate treatment.
   alt of casualty department
6. (countable, uncountable) An incidental charge or payment.
7. (countable, uncountable) Someone or something adversely affected by a decision, event or situation.
   • Among recent casualties is the S.B.B.'s branch from Nyon to Divonne-les-Bains, just across the French frontier, closed to all traffic at the commencement of the winter service. 1962 December, “Beyond the Channel: Switzerland: Federal aid for three minor lines”, in Modern Railways, page 418:
   • Today, the pocket calculator is a dying product, a casualty of digitization, which has been relegated to the role of a graphic icon on phone and computer screens rather than an object in its own right, but back in the early 1970s, it was at the forefront of consumer technology. 2012 March 4, Alice Rawsthorn, “Farewell, Pocket Calculator?”, in The New York Times:
8. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) Chance nature; randomness.
   • The non-necessary [causes] follow; of which, saith Fuchsius, no art can be made, by reason of their uncertainty, casualty, and multitude […] , NYRB 2001, vol.1, p.327-8

Forms

Deriveds

CASEVAC · casualty of superiority · casualty insurance · casualty department · simulated casualty · casualty ward · casualty event · casualty notification

Hyponyms

fatality

Relateds

casual

Synonyms

casualty department (hospital's accident and emergency) · accident and emergency (hospital's accident and emergency) · accident and emergency · emergency department (hospital's accident and emergency) · A&E · emergency ward (hospital's accident and emergency) · E. R. (hospital's accident and emergency) · E.R. (hospital's accident and emergency) · emergency (hospital's accident and emergency) · casualty ward (hospital's accident and emergency) · luck · emergency room (hospital's accident and emergency) · A&E (hospital's accident and emergency) · emergency room · emergency department · ER (hospital's accident and emergency) · fortune (something that happens by chance)

Translations (121)

fi onnettomuus (an accident, a disaster) · pt urgências (accident and emergency department of a hospital) · hy զոհ (person) · es urgencias (accident and emergency department of a hospital) · pt baixa (person) · tr kaza (an accident, a disaster) · da tilskadekommet (person) · nl spoedgevallen (accident and emergency department of a hospital) · fi kuolonuhri (person) · mi pūkeko (person) · de Verletzter (person) · zh 死伤人数 (person) · pl ofiary (an accident, a disaster) · ru происше́ствие (an accident, a disaster) · de Unfall (an accident, a disaster) · bg жертви (person) · ro mort (person) · eu urgentziak (accident and emergency department of a hospital) · de Unfallopfer (person) · bg авария (an accident, a disaster) · de Kalamität (an accident, a disaster) · es baja (person) · eu larrialdiak (accident and emergency department of a hospital) · hu sérülés (an accident, a disaster) · pt urgência (accident and emergency department of a hospital) · nb offer (person) · zh 傷亡者 (person) · nl slachtoffer (person) · pl straty (an accident, a disaster) · fi uhri (person) · ka დაშავებული (person) · ca baixa (person) · bg спешно отделение (accident and emergency department of a hospital) · be пацярпе́лы (person) · de Gefallener (person) · de Verunglückter (person) · is mannfall (person) · bg пострадали (person) · he חָלָל (person) · pl ofiara (person) · gl urxencias (accident and emergency department of a hospital) · ml അപകടം (an accident, a disaster) · ru же́ртва (person) · sv offer (person) · el τμήμα επειγόντων περαστικών (accident and emergency department of a hospital) · ru пострада́вший (person) · nn offer (person) · de Unglücksfall (an accident, a disaster) · cs oběť (person) · da offer (person) · de Notaufnahme (accident and emergency department of a hospital) · sv olycksoffer (person) · ota قضا (an accident, a disaster) · hi हताहत (person) · mi ngohi (person) · fr accident (an accident, a disaster) · fr blessé (person) · de Todesopfer (person) · ja 犠牲者 (person) · sh žrtva (person) · sh stradalnik (person) · hu halott (person) · ru поте́ря (person) · uk ушко́джений (person) · ga taisme (an accident, a disaster) · mi kaiākiko (person) · gl víctima (person) · da traumecenter (accident and emergency department of a hospital) · hy դժբախտ պատահար (an accident, a disaster) · de Opfer (person) · fr victime (person) · zh 死傷者 (person) · de Unglück (an accident, a disaster) · de Desaster (an accident, a disaster) · de Toter (person) · pt emergências (accident and emergency department of a hospital) · rif aniyzum (person) · ro victimă (person) · hu sérült (person) · zh 伤亡者 (person) · ca desastre (an accident, a disaster) · ml അത്യാഹിതം (an accident, a disaster) · ka დაჭრილი (person) · ml അത്യാഹിത വിഭാഗം (accident and emergency department of a hospital) · id korban (person) · hy տուժող (person) · gl baixa (person) · pl izba przyjęć (accident and emergency department of a hospital) · it ferito (person) · da skadestue (accident and emergency department of a hospital) · uk потерпі́лий (person) · de Verlust (person) · be ахвя́ра (person) · sh postradali (person) · pl poszkodowany (person) · de Todesfall (person) · hu áldozat (person) · de Verwundeter (person) · tr kayıp (person) · tr zayiat (person) · el επείγοντα περαστικά (accident and emergency department of a hospital) · hy զոհ կամ վիրավոր (person) · ka მოკლული (person) · zh 死傷人數 (person) · ca accident (an accident, a disaster) · hu sebesült (person) · zh 死伤者 (person) · uk постражда́лий (person) · uk офі́ра (person) · de Ausfall (person) · fr urgences (accident and emergency department of a hospital) · ru травматология (accident and emergency department of a hospital) · ota عارضه (an accident, a disaster) · ca urgències (accident and emergency department of a hospital) · ca víctima (person) · ca calamitat (an accident, a disaster) · sw mhanga (person) · hu baleset (an accident, a disaster) · ru несча́стный слу́чай (an accident, a disaster) · de Notdienst (accident and emergency department of a hospital) · uk же́ртва (person)