Forms: 6 casseir, 6–7 casseer(e, casheer(e, cashiere, 7 cassir, -ier(e, -ere, caszier, casier, cachier, cashieere, casher(e, 7–8 cashire, casheir(e, 6– cashier. [16th c. a. Flem. or Du. casser-en, in same sense: Kilian has kasseren de krieghslieden, exauctorare milites, to disband soldiers, and kasseren een testament, rescindere testamentum, to rescind a will; cf. Ger. kassiren; and, for the sense, CASS v., CASH v.1
Fr. verbs adopted in Du. and Ger. frequently retain the inf. -er, -ir, as part of the stem, but few of these have been adopted in Eng. Cashier probably dates to the campaign in the Netherlands of 1585. The instance quoted by Richardson from Strype, Eccl. Mem., II. App. EE. of 1549 has no existence: see CASS a.]
1. trans. To dismiss from service or fellowship.
† a. Mil. To discharge, break up, disband (troops).
1598. Hakluyt, Voy., I. 63. Our men must not … depart and casseir their bandes, or separate themselues asunder.
1580. North, Plutarch, 923. He could not abide very fat men, but cashiered a whole band of them for that cause onely.
1604. E. Grimstone, Hist. Siege Ostend, 188. He hath casziered and dismissed about 600. men.
1625. Charles I., in Ellis, Orig. Lett., I. 319, III. 211. To casier my Monsers.
1697. Potter, Antiq. Greece, III. v. (1715), 53. Power to cashire any of the Common Soldiers.
1734. trans. Rollin’s Anc. Hist. (1827), VI. XV. § 17. 291. He returns suddenly into his tent, cashiers his old gard.
b. generally. Obs. (exc. as in 2 b).
1592. Greene, Groatsw. Wit, 28. Hee was casseerde by Lamilia that had coosened him of all.
1610. Histrio-m., iii. 85. All the Lords have now cashierd their traines.
1640. G. Watts, trans. Bacon’s Adv. Learn., 473. Those points … which … quite casseere them from the communion and fellowship of the faithfull.
1649. Milton, Eikon., iv. (Bohn), 351. By him nicknamed and cashiered for a mongrel parliament.
1716. Addison, Freeholder, No. 11 (1751), 65. The Ladies … have already cashiered several of their Followers.
1791. Cowper, Odyss., XIX. 405. That man shall be cashiered Hence instant.
2. To dismiss from a position of command or authority; to depose. (In the army and navy involving disgrace and permanent exclusion from the service.) a. Mil.
1599. Sandys, Europæ Spec. (1632), 131. The Pope … it is thought will cashiere some worthy authours who … holde ranke among them.
1604. Shaks., Oth., II. iii. 381. Cassio hath beaten thee, And thou by that small hurt hath casheer’d Cassio.
1624. Heywood, Gunaik., IX. 442. The king … not onely cashiered them from their commaunds, but banished them his kingdome.
1763. Act 4 Geo. III., ii. § 22. Such Military Officer shall … be deemed and taken to be ipso facto cashired.
1830. E. Campbell, Dict. Mil. Sc., Cashiered, when an Officer is ordered by His Majesty, or sentenced by a Court-Martial, to be dismissed the Service, he is said to be cashiered.
1879. Mrs. L. G. Séguin, Black Forest, xiii. 225. All the officers who took part in the capitulation, were cashiered or otherwise punished.
b. transf. and fig.
1609. C. Butler, Fem. Mon. (1634), 3. But if they [bees] have many Princes, as when two fly away with one swarm … they will not be quiet till one of them be cassiered.
a. 1639. W. Whateley, Prototypes, I. xix. (1640), 227. When pride is thus cashiered by the entering in of true humiliation, there it no longer raigneth.
c. 1640. in Sc. Pasquils (1868), 126. That Lad who late rewl’d all, Now cashier’d goes, most like to catch a fall.
1650. A. A[scham], Reply Sanderson, 13. If he had a King to day, he would go neer to cachier him to morrow.
1789. Belsham, Ess., II. xl. 503. The people have a right to cashier their Governors for misconduct.
1793. Ld. Sheffield, in Corr. Ld. Auckland (1861), II. 496. When a majority of the people thought another kind of Government preferable they undoubtedly had a right to cashier the King.
1839. Syd. Smith, Let. Singleton, Wks. 1859, II. 267/2. You are cashiered and confiscated before you can look about you.
3. To discard, get rid of, cast off, put away, lay aside, dismiss, banish (a thing).
1603. Harsnet, Pop. Impost., 27–8. Let them cassier those olde monuments of Ethnick prophane learning.
1628. Prynne, Love Lockes, 16. To casheere their Ruffianly Haire.
1641. Milton, Ch. Discip., II. (1851), 56. To cashier, and cut away from the publick body the noysum, and diseased tumor of Prelacie.
1656. Trapp, Comm. Hebr. x. 26. Others … have … cashiered this Epistle out of the canon.
1775. Sheridan, Rivals, II. i. I shall … cashier the hunting-frock.
1848. H. Rogers, Ess. (1878), I. vi. 282. All reject … some dialogues (though … they are not quite agreed … which they are to cashier).
† 4. To make void, annul, do away with. Obs.
1596. H. Clapham, Briefe Bible, I. 58. They see the very ground of all their hope, cashierde, & quasht.
1601. F. Godwin, Bps. of Eng., 174. As for the election … he caused the same to be cassired and made void.
1650. Baxter, Saints’ R., IV. xii. (1662), 772. This Argument would certainly cashier all Spiritual obedience.
5. To deprive of. (rare.)
1668. Child, Disc. Trade (1694), Pref. 26. How it comes to pass that the Dutch low interest has not cashiered us of these trades.
1835. I. Taylor, Spir. Despot., iv. 156. To cashier the ministers of religion of all dignity and power.
¶ ‘In the slang of Bardolph it seems to mean: to ease a person of his cash’ (Schmidt).
1598. Shaks., Merry W., I. i. 184. I say the Gentleman … being fap, sir, was (as they say) casheerd.
Hence Cashiered ppl. a., Cashiering vbl. sb.
c. 1605. Rowley, Birth Merl., III. v. 325. Hath re-united all his cashier’d troops.
1628. Earle, Microcosm., Flatterer, 68. Makes him doubt his casheering.
1633. T. Stafford, Pac. Hib., xxi. (1821), 214. The cashiering of fiue hundred Foot.
1634. Heywood, Mayden-head Lost, I. i. Wks. 1874, IV. 105. He … return’d me home A Cashierd Captaine.
1826. Miss Mitford, Village, Ser. II. (1863), 326. From the first cashiering of my blue ribands.
1844. Disraeli, Coningsby, III. VI. viii. 75. The cause of fallen dynasties and a cashiered nobility.
