[chase] n (13c) 1 a: the hunting of wild animals--used with the b: the act of chasing: pursuit c: an earnest or frenzied seeking after something desired
2: something pursued: quarry
3: a tract of unenclosed land used as a game preserve
4: steeplechase 1
5: a sequence (as in a movie) in which the characters pursue one another
[2]chase vb chased ; chas.ing [ME, fr. MF chasser, fr. (assumed) VL captiare--more at catch] vt (14c) 1 a: to follow rapidly: pursue b: hunt c: to follow regularly or persistently with the intention of attracting or alluring
2. obs: harass
3: to seek out--often used with down "detectives chasing down clues"
4: to cause to depart or flee: drive "~ the dog out of the garden"
5: to cause the removal of (a baseball pitcher) by a batting rally ~ vi 1: to chase an animal, person, or thing "~ after material possessions"
2: rush, hasten "chased all over town looking for a place to stay" syn chase, pursue, follow, trail mean to go after or on the track of something or someone. chase implies going swiftly after and trying to overtake something fleeing or running "a dog chasing a cat". pursue suggests a continuing effort to overtake, reach, or attain "pursued the criminal through narrow streets". follow puts less emphasis upon speed or intent to overtake "friends followed me home in their car". trail may stress a following of tracks or traces rather than a visible object "trail deer" "trailed a suspect across the country". [3]chase vt chased ; chas.ing [ME chassen, modif. of MF enchasser to set] (15c) 1 a: to ornament (metal) by indenting with a hammer and tools without a cutting edge b: to make by such indentation c: to set with gems
2. a: groove, indent b: to cut (a thread) with a chaser [4]chase n [F chas eye of a needle, fr. LL capsus enclosed space, alter. of L capsa box--more at case] (1611) 1: groove, furrow
2: the bore of a cannon 3 a: trench b: a channel (as in a wall) for something to lie in or pass through [5]chase n [prob. fr. F chasse frame, reliquary, fr. MF chasse, fr. L capsa] (1612): a rectangular steel or iron frame in which letterpress matter is locked (as for printing)