Forms: 4 chace-n, chaci, chacy, chasce-n, 4–5 chass(e, (5 chas, chasy, schase, 6 Sc. chaiss), 4–9 chace, 4– chase. [ME. a. OF. chacie-r, later chascie-r, chasse-r, in 11th c. cacer (ONF. cacher, Pr. cassar, Sp. cazar, Pg. caçar, It. cacciare):—late L. *captiāre, used instead of captāre (freq. of capĕre to take) to seize, catch, in late L. also ‘to chase, hunt’: see Du Cange. The ONF. form cacher, gave CATCH, which had at first both the senses ‘chase’ and ‘catch,’ but was at length differentiated, and confined to the latter.]
I. To pursue with a view to catching.
1. trans. To pursue for prey or sport; to hunt.
c. 1314. Guy Warw. (A.), 1206. Þe hert to chacen and þe hinde.
c. 1320. Sir Tristr., 2741. Tristrem on huntinge rade, An hert chaci bigan.
c. 1440. Ipomydon, 64. In wodde to chase the wild dere.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., I. v. 37. That wont in charet chace the foming bore.
1601. Holland, Pliny, I. 126. The practise of hunting, chasing and taming Elephants.
1753. Hogarth, Anal. Beauty, v. 24. Cats will risk the losing of their prey, to chase it over again.
1795. Southey, Joan of Arc, V. 464. Where I have … Chaced the gay butterfly from flower to flower.
1859. Tennyson, Vivien, 406. For here we met … To chase … the hart with golden horns.
b. fig.
1593. Shaks., Rich. II., II. iii. 128. To rowze his Wrongs and chase them to the bay. Ibid. (1596), Merch. V., II. vi. 13. All things that are, Are with more spirit chased than enjoy’d.
1784. Burns, Green grow the Rashes. The war’ly race may riches chase.
1847. Tennyson, Princess, II. 386. Do I chase The substance or the shadow?
† c. intr. (absol.) To hunt, go hunting. Obs.
c. 1320. Sir Beues, 194. Þat erl swor … In þat forest he wolde chace, Þat bor to take.
c. 1400. Maundev., vi. 64. Thei … chacen aftre Bestes, to eten hem.
1486. Bk. St. Albans, E vj b. Iff youre houndis chase at hert or at haare.
1525. Ld. Berners, Froiss., II. xxvii. 78. On a day he chased in the wodes.
2. To pursue (a flying enemy).
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 16. Right vnto Donkastre þe Danes gan him chace.
c. 1400. Ywaine & Gaw., 1008. Yowr lord fled out of the place, And the tother gan hym chace Heder into his awyn halde.
1535. Coverdale, Prov. xxviii. 1. The vngodly flyeth no man chasynge him.
1839. Thirlwall, Greece, V. 19. His appearance … put them to flight, and he chased them back to Olynthus with a loss of eighty men.
1886. Manch. Exam., 7 Jan., 5/2. A large crowd … chased the process-server and attacked the police.
b. esp. To pursue (a ship) at sea.
1627. Capt. Smith, Seaman’s Gram., xii. 56. In giuing chase or chasing, or to escape being chased, there is required an infinite iudgement.
1697. Dampier, Voy. (1698), I. vii. 174. We saw a small white Island which we chased, supposing it had been a Sail.
1727. Swift, Gulliver, III. i. 178. We were chased by two pirates, who soon overtook us.
1788. Franklin, Autobiog., Wks. 1840, I. 224. We were several times chased in our passage.
1836. Marryat, Midsh. Easy, xiii. 42. The boats were constantly out, chasing the vessels along shore.
† c. fig. To persecute, harass. Obs.
c. 1340. Richard Rolle of Hampole, Prick of Conscience, 6704. Þe strenthe of hungre sal þam swa chace Þat þair awen flesshe þar sal of-race.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Pers. T., ¶ 452. Preyeth for hem … that yow chacen and pursewen.
c. 1460[?]. Belle Dame, 287, in Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1866), 61. But fervent love too sore me hath y-chaced.
1596. B. Griffin, Fidessa, xxix. Griefs, chase this earth, that it may fade with anguish.
1611. Shaks., Wint. T., V. i. 217. Though Fortune, visible an Enemie, Should chase vs.
d. intr. or absol. (Former const. after.)
1375. Barbour, Bruce, III. 53. He … styntyt swagat the chassaris, That nane durst owt off batall chass.
c. 1450. Erle Tolous, 446. Aftur hym yorne they chaste.
1611. Bible, 1 Sam. xvii. 53. The children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents.
1748. Anson’s Voy., I. iv. (ed. 2), 52. We let our reefs and chased with the squadron.
1808. Scott, Marm., VI. xv. ‘Horse! horse!’ the Douglas cried, ‘and chase!’
1842. Tennyson, Captain, 33. ‘Chase,’ he said: the ship flew forward.
3. trans. To pursue or run after in play.
1830. Tennyson, Merman, ii. And then we would wander away, away … Chasing each other merrily.
1858. Hawthorne, Fr. & It. Jrnls., I. 202. Lovely shapes in marble clustering thickly and chasing one another round the sides of these old stone coffins.
4. fig. To call upon (a person) to fill up his glass; to push the bottle towards. Cf. HUNT.
1824. Scott, Redgauntlet, let. i. Why, when I fill this very glass of wine, cannot I push the bottle to you, and say ‘Fairford, you’re chased’?
† 5. fig. To chase forth: to pursue (a narrative).
c. 1386. Chaucer, Clerkes T., 285. But shortly forth this matere for to chace. Ibid., 337. And shortly forth this tale for to chace.
6. intr. To run with speed; to hurry or rush along. (Cf. CATCH v. 2.) Still dial.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XVII. 51. To a iustes in iherusalem he chaced awey faste.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 10436. Þen Achilles come chaseand with a choise wepyn.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., IV. iv. 29. Now chacing to and fro, Now hurtling round advantage for to take.
II. To cause to move off or depart precipitately.
7. trans. To drive forcibly and precipitately from, out of, to, into, etc. (a place or position).
a. 1300. Cursor M., 3766. Þis esau wit his manace Oute o þe land did iacob chace.
c. 1340. Richard Rolle of Hampole, Prick of Conscience, 8003. Þai salle be chaced ogayne þair wille Tylle alle manere of thing þat es ille.
1380. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 237. Distroie synne & chasse it out of londe.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Man Lawes T., 268. Chaced from oure heritage.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 113. As the smoke chaseth men out of theyr owne hous.
1591. Shaks., Two Gent., II. iv. 134. Loue hath chas’d sleepe from my enthralled eyes.
1636. E. Dacres, trans. Machiavel’s Disc. Livy, I. 191. The Principal men of the Citie being chac’t out of Florence.
1661. Bramhall, Just Vind., ii. 11. They have by their Censures and Bulls separated us & chased us from their communion.
1801. J. S. Gale, in Med. Jrnl., V. 112. Express … their gratitude to the discoverer of such a providential method of chacing from the earth one of its bitterest maladies.
1849. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., II. 207. They had repeatedly chased him into banishment.
b. with advbs. away, forth, out, about, etc.
a. 1340. Hampole, Pr. Consc., 4316. He sal … chace þe wyndes about and þe ayre.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 955. Þe oþre … chacyeþ forþ Olyuere.
1393. Gower, Conf., III. 94. Than is it chased sore about, Till it to fire and leit be falle.
c. 1400. Maundev., Prol. (1839), 3. To … chacen out alle the mysbeleevynge men.
c. 1450. Crt. of Love, iv. Of ignoraunce the mist to chase away.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, X. v. 104. Vpspryngis the brycht day, Chasand the cloudis of the nycht away.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 293. Theyr hope … chaceth awaye all euyll feares.
1715–20. Pope, Iliad, XVI. 61. Thy mere image [shall] chace her foes away.
8. To put to flight, scatter in flight, rout; to dispel = chase away in 7 b. Obs. or arch.
c. 1300. K. Alis., 1754. Y schal wynne the maistrie Of Darie, and him so chase, And his men.
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter Prol. Þe sange of psalmes chases fendis.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XVI. xxviii. (1495), 562. Crisolitus … ferith fendes and chasseth them.
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 29. The Danes were chased, and the Englishe men had the victory.
1610. Shaks., Temp., V. i. 67. Their rising sences Begin to chace the ignorant fumes that mantle Their cleerer reason.
1705. Pope, Ep. Miss Blount, 37. Marriage may all those petty Tyrants chase.
1792. S. Rogers, Pleas. Mem., II. 9. Whose constant vigils chase the chilling damp.
1805. Scott, Last Minstrel, II. xvii. To chase the spirits that love the night.
† 9. To clear (a place) of (its inhabitants, etc., by driving them out). Obs. rare–1.
1655–60. Stanley, Hist. Philos. (1701), 118/2. The Lacedæmonians … chasing Scilluns of the Eleans, built a Town there.
† 10. To drive (cattle, etc.). Obs.
c. 1400. Maundev., 249. Thei beren … a lytille Whippe in hire Hondes, for to chacen with hire Hors.
[c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 58. Chasyn or drvye furþe [1499 catchyn or dryue forth bestis], mino.]
1620. J. Wilkinson, Courts Baron, 147. If any Tenant … bring cattell from his other farme unto his farme within this Manor … this is called chasing and rechasing.
1670. Blount, Law Dict., Chase … a driving Cattle to or from any place; as to chase a Distress to a Fortlet.
1863. Atkinson, Danby Provinc., ‘Chassin’ tharro’s,’ driving the horses which are drawing the harrows.
