lower case

American  

[loh-er] / ˈloʊ ər /

noun

Printing.

lower cases plural

1. case28

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lower case British  

noun

1. a compositor's type case, in which the small letters are kept

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adjective

1. of or relating to small letters

verb

1. (tr) to print with lower-case letters

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• lower cases
  plural

Etymology

Origin of lower case

First recorded in 1675–85

Example Sentences

The author provides CDC statistics showing dramatically lower case and death rates among vaccinated populations compared to unvaccinated individuals, and explains that widespread vaccination actually decreases mutations by limiting viral replication opportunities.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 12, 2025

You won't see any of those written in all lower case.

From Salon • Dec. 10, 2022

And yes, those are two lower case i’s on the website address.

From Washington Times • Sep. 8, 2022

However, hooks deliberately styled her own name with lower case letters to focus attention on her message rather than herself.

From BBC • Dec. 15, 2021

Capital letters designate teeth in the upper jaws and lower case letters designate teeth in the lower jaws; for example, M2 refers to the second upper molar and m2 refers to the second lower molar.

From The Recent Mammals of Tamaulipas, Mexico by Alvarez, Ticul