easy
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[edit] English
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Etymology 1
From Middle English esy (“not difficult to deal with, easy”), corresponding to ease + -y. Merged with Middle English ethe, eathe (“not difficult, easy”), from Old English ēaþe, īeþe (“easy, smooth, not difficult”), from Proto-Germanic *auþaz, *auþijaz (“easy, pleasing”), from *auþiz (“vacant, empty”), from Proto-Indo-European *aut- (“empty, lonely”). Compare also Old Saxon ōþi (“easy, vacant, empty”), Old High German ōdi (“easy, effortless, vacant, empty”), Old Norse auðr (“easy, vacant, empty”). More at ease, eath.
[edit] Adjective
easy (comparative easier, superlative easiest)
- Requiring little skill or effort, soft.
- The teacher gave an easy test to her students.
- (informal, pejorative, of a person) Consenting readily to sex.
- She has a reputation for being easy; they say she's slept with half the senior class.
[edit] Synonyms
- (not difficult): light, eath
- (consenting readily to sex): fast
- (requiring little skill or effort): soft, trivial
- See also Wikisaurus:easy
[edit] Antonyms
- (requiring little skill or effort): difficult, hard, uneasy, uneath, challenging
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Related terms
[edit] Translations
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[edit] Etymology 2
From Middle English esy, aisie (“eased, at ease, at leisure, comfortable”), from Old French aisie (“eased, at ease, at leisure, comfortable, well-off, rich”), past participle of aisier (“to put at ease”), from aise (“empty space, elbow room, opportunity”), of uncertain origin. See ease.
[edit] Adjective
easy (comparative easier, superlative easiest)
- (now rare except in certain expressions) Comfortable; at ease.
- In the middle of the room was a fluffy easy chair.
- Now that I know it's taken care of, I can rest easy at night.
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Antonyms
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Related terms
[edit] Translations
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
[edit] Adverb
easy (comparative easier, superlative easiest)
- In a relaxed or casual manner
- In a manner without strictness or harshness.
- Jane went easier on him after he broke his arm.
[edit] Anagrams
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English words suffixed with -y
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English adjectives
- English informal terms
- English pejoratives
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms with rare senses
- English adverbs
