In 3 chasur, 4 chasour, chassar. [a. OF. chaceür, chaceour (mod.F. chasseur), agent-noun f. chasser to CHASE v.1]
1. One who chases or hunts; a hunter of.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, VIII. i. As king Meliodas rode on hunting, for he was a great chaser.
1686. Voy. East Tartary, in Misc. Cur. (1708), III. 187. The poor Creatures tired with the violence of their Coursing, came and fell down at the Feet of their Chasers.
1704. Pope, Windsor For., 81. At once the chaser and at once the prey.
1856. Bryant, Catterskill Falls, xiii. There pass the chasers of seal and whale.
† b. A horse for the chase, a hunter (obs.). c. A horse trained for steeple-chasing.
a. 1300. Signs bef. Judgm., 110, in E. E. P. (1862), 10. Palfrei, chasur, no no stede.
c. 1314. Guy Warw. (A.), 3210. At his in he tok a chasour.
1649. Selden, Laws Eng., I. lii. (1739), 90. The Relief of an Earl, 8 horses … 4 chasers, 1 Palfray, bridled and sadled.
1884. Illustr. Sporting & Dram. News, 16 Feb., 563/3. A famous trainer and rider of chasers.
2. One who pursues (esp. with hostile intent).
1375. Barbour, Bruce, VI. 439. The chassaris … ourtuk sum at the last.
1611. Shaks., Cymb., V. iii. 40. Then beganne A stop i’th’Chaser; a Retyre.
c. 1611. Chapman, Iliad, XXII. 167. He in chase the chaser cannot fly.
1822. De Quincey, Wks., V. 118. My chasers, that pursued when no man fled.
3. Naut. a. A ship that chases another. b. A CHASE-GUN: see BOW-CHASER, STERN-CHASER.
1794. Rigging & Seamanship, II. 337. Were the ship chased as good a sailer as the chaser.
1804. Naval Chron., XII. 71. Firing our bow-chasers.
1822. Scott, Pirate, viii. We mounted ten guns, besides chasers.
4. nonce-use. = CHASSEUR 3.
1865. Carlyle, Fredk. Gt., IX. XX. xii. 224. He dismissed the Guard sent for him; would have nothing there but six chasers (jäger).
