ease
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Middle English ese, eise (“ease”), from Anglo-Norman ese (“ease”), Old French aise, eise (“convenience, leisure, comfort”), of unknown origin. Earliest meaning was that of "empty space, elbow-room, opportunity". Conflicting forms in Romance point to an external, non-Latin origin [1]. Probably from a Germanic or Celtic source. Compare Old English ēaþe (“easy”), Gothic 𐌰𐌶𐌴𐍄𐌹 (azēti, “ease, pleasure”), Gothic 𐌰𐌶𐌴𐍄𐍃 (azēts, “easy”), Breton eaz, ez (“easy”), Irish adhais (“easy, leisure”). See also eath.
Pronunciation [edit]
Noun [edit]
ease (uncountable)
- The state of being comfortable or free from stress.
- She enjoyed the ease of living in a house where the servants did all the work.
- Freedom from pain, worry, agitation, etc.
- His mind was at ease when he received his pension.
- Freedom from effort, difficulty or hardship.
- He passed all the exams with ease.
- 2011 November 11, Rory Houston, “Estonia 0-4 Republic of Ireland”, RTE Sport:
- Walters tried a long range shot in the third minute as he opened the game sharply, linking well with Robbie Keane, but goalkeeper Sergei Pareiko gathered the ball with ease.
- Dexterity or facility.
- He played the organ with ease.
- Affluence and freedom from financial problems.
- After winning the jackpot, she lived a life of luxurious ease.
- Relaxation, rest and leisure.
- We took our ease on the patio.
- (clothing) Additional space to allow movement within a garment.
- to add ease to a waist measurement
Quotations [edit]
- For usage examples of this term, see the citations page.
Synonyms [edit]
- (state of being comfortable or free from stress): comfort, peace
- (freedom from pain, worry, agitation, etc): peace of mind
- (freedom from effort, difficulty or hardship):
- (dexterity or facility): dexterity, facility, skill
- (affluence and freedom from financial problems):
- (relaxation, rest and leisure): free time, leisure, relaxation, rest
Derived terms [edit]
Related terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
State of being comfortable or free from stress
Freedom from effort, difficulty or hardship
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Dexterity or facility
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Affluence and freedom from financial problems
Relaxation, rest and leisure
References [edit]
- ^ The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia, "ease".
Verb [edit]
ease (third-person singular simple present eases, present participle easing, simple past and past participle eased)
- (transitive) To free (something) from pain, worry, agitation, etc.
- He eased his conscience by confessing.
- (transitive) To alleviate, assuage or lessen (pain).
- He loosened his shoe to ease the pain.
- (transitive) To give respite to (someone).
- The provision of extra staff eased their workload.
- (transitive) To loosen or slacken the tension on (something).
- We eased the rope, then lowered the sail.
- (transitive) To reduce the difficulty of (something).
- We had to ease the entry requirements.
- (transitive) To move (something) slowly and carefully.
- He eased the cork from the bottle.
- (intransitive) To lessen in severity.
- The pain eased overnight.
- (intransitive) To proceed with little effort.
- The car eased onto the motorway.
Synonyms [edit]
- (free (something) from pain, worry, agitation, etc): assuage, salve
- (alleviate, assuage or lessen (pain)): alleviate, assuage, lessen, reduce
- (give respite to (someone)): give someone a break (informal), lay off (informal)
- (loosen or slacken the tension on (something)): loosen, relax, slacken
- (reduce the difficulty of (something)): simplify
- (move (something) slowly and carefully):
- (lessen in severity): lessen, reduce
- (proceed with little effort): cruise
Translations [edit]
To free (something) from pain, worry, agitation, etc
To alleviate, assuage or lessen (pain)
To give respite to (someone)
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To loosen or slacken the tension on (something)
To reduce the difficulty of (something)
To move (something) slowly and carefully
To lessen in severity
To proceed with little effort
