ease
Meanings
- Lack of difficulty; the ability to do something easily.
- Comfort, a state or quality lacking unpleasantness
- Freedom from pain, hardship, and annoyance, sometimes (derogatory, archaic) idleness, sloth.
- Freedom from worry and concern; peace; sometimes (derogatory, archaic) indifference.
- Freedom from effort; leisure, rest.
- Freedom from financial effort or worry; affluence.
- Freedom from embarrassment or awkwardness; grace.
- Relief, an end to discomfort
- Followed by of or from: release from or reduction of pain, hardship, or annoyance.
- Release from intestinal discomfort: defecation.
- Release from constraint, obligation, or a constrained position.
- Additional space provided to allow greater movement.
- To free (something) from pain, worry, agitation, etc.
- To alleviate, assuage or lessen (pain).
- To give respite to (someone).
- To loosen or slacken the tension on a line.
- To reduce the difficulty of (something).
- To move (something) slowly and carefully.
- To lessen in intensity.
- To proceed with little effort.
- To reduce speed.
- To take something from (a person), especially by robbery.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
From Middle English ese, eise, aise, from Anglo-Norman ese (“ease”), from Old French eise, aise (“elbow room; opportunity”), of uncertain and obscure origin. Apparently related to Provençal ais, Italian agio and asio, Sicilian aciu and Portuguese azo. Sometimes ascribed to Vulgar Latin *āsia or *āsium, possibly from Latin ānsa (“handle, haft”) or Frankish *ansiju (“handle, loophole, eyelet; cup-handle; arms akimbo, elbow room”), but more often derived from Vulgar Latin *adjace(m), from Latin adjacēns (“adjacent, neighbouring”), present participle of adjaceō (“lie next to, border on”), though the forms and senses are difficult to trace clearly. Alternatively, possibly from a non-Latin source such as Germanic or Celtic on the basis of the conflicting forms which appear in various Romance languages. Compare Old English īeþe (“easy”), Gothic 𐌰𐌶𐌴𐍄𐌹 (azēti, “ease; pleasure”), *𐌰𐌶𐌴𐍄𐍃 (*azēts, “easy”), Breton eaz, ez (“easy”), Irish adhais (“easy; leisure”). See also eath. The verb is from Middle English esen, ultimately of the same origin.