chase

chase · noun, verb¹

1. Latin · derived fromcaptāre
2. Vulgar Latin · derived from*captiāre
3. Old French · derived fromchacier
4. Anglo-Norman · derived fromchacer
5. Middle English · inherited fromchacen
6. English todaychase

From Middle English chacen, from Anglo-Norman chacer, Old French chacier, from Vulgar Latin *captiāre, from Latin captāre, frequentative of capere. Compare French chasser (“to hunt”, “to chase”), Spanish cazar (“to hunt”), Portuguese caçar (“to hunt”) , see Norwegian skysse (“to hunt”). Doublet of catch and related to capture. Displaced native Old English ōht, ēhtnes, and wāþ. Broadly overtook Old English huntaþ. (to nag; to pressure): Likely influenced by 催 (ceoi¹, “to urge; to pressure”) and 追 (“to chase”), which are near-homophones.

chase · noun²

1. Latin · derived fromcapsa
2. Old French · derived fromchasse
3. French · derived fromchâsse“case”, “reliquary”
4. English todaychase

Perhaps from French châsse (“case”, “reliquary”), from Old French chasse, from Latin capsa. Doublet of case, cash, and chasse.

chase · noun, verb³

Possibly from obsolete French chas (“groove”, “enclosure”), from Old French, from Latin capsa (“box”). Or perhaps a shortening or derivative of enchase. Doublet of case, cash, and chasse.

Words from the same roots