What does "casualty" mean?

1. (victim of accident or war) a person who is injured or killed in a serious accident or a war. 2. (metaphorical victim) someone or something that is destroyed or suffers because of a situation or event. 3. (hospital department) the part of a hospital where people go when they have a sudden injury or emergency. 4. (military unavailability) a soldier who cannot fight anymore because they are dead, hurt, sick, or captured.

How do you use "casualty"?

Often used as a proper noun or as 'the casualty department'.

casualty

US //ˈkæʒəɫti// UK //kˈæʒuːəlti// ca·su·al·ty

1 victim of accident or war (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

a person who is injured or killed in a serious accident or a war.

a person killed or injured in a war or accident. Often used in the plural to report total losses after a conflict or disaster.

Example

The news reported that there were many casualties after the earthquake hit the city.

Example

Military analysts expressed concern over the rising number of civilian casualties as the conflict moved into more densely populated urban areas.
- survivor
2 metaphorical victim (n.)
C1 Advanced Formal

someone or something that is destroyed or suffers because of a situation or event.

a person or thing that suffers, is lost, or is destroyed as a result of a particular event or series of events.

Example

Small local shops were the main casualties of the new shopping mall opening nearby.

Example

The arts programme became an early casualty of the government's aggressive new austerity measures and budget cuts.
- victim
- prey
- beneficiary

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3 hospital department (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate British English Medicine

the part of a hospital where people go when they have a sudden injury or emergency.

the department of a hospital providing immediate treatment for emergency cases.

Example

He was rushed to casualty after he fell off his bike and broke his arm.

Example

The casualty department was overwhelmed on Saturday night following a multi-vehicle pileup on the motorway.

Usage

Often used as a proper noun or as 'the casualty department'.
- emergency room
- A&E
4 military unavailability (n.)
C1 Advanced Technical Military

a soldier who cannot fight anymore because they are dead, hurt, sick, or captured.

a person in military service who becomes unavailable for duty due to death, injury, illness, capture, or desertion.

Example

The general was shocked by the high casualty rate during the first day of the battle.

Example

The official report included every soldier missing in action as a casualty until their specific status could be verified by field intelligence.
- loss

Origin

From casual, from Middle French casuel, from Medieval Latin casualitas and Late Latin cāsuālis (“happening by chance”), from Latin cāsus (“event”) (English case), from cadere (“to fall”). Originally meaning “a chance event” (compare casual, as in “casual encounter”), it developed a negative meaning as “an unfortunate event”, especially the loss of a person.