ease 
> E. agio, q. v.), exchange, premium. Henee 
the adj., OF. aise, ayse, aize = Pr. ais, easy (mod. 
F. aise, p. a., easy); the adv. phrase, OF. a 
aise, F. a Vaise = Pr. ad ais = It. ad agio, ada- 
gio (> E. adagio), at ease, at leisure, > OF. 
aaise, ahaise = OPg. aaso = It. adagio, ease ; 
and the compound, F. malaise (> E. malaise), 
uneasiness. The Eom. forms are somewhat 
irregular, and are certainly of external origin, 
perhaps Celtic : cf. (1) Bret, eaz, ez, easy; Gael. 
adkais, leisure, ease. There is nothing to prove 
a connection with (2) AS. edthe, obs. E. eath 
(see eath); or with (3) Goth, aeets, easy (m 
compar. azetizo), azeti, ease, azetaoa, easily ; or 
1822 
. a song for 
oped by pr 
Whate'er he did was done with so much ease, 
In him alone 'twas natural to please. 
Dryden, Abs. and Achit., i. 27. 
Refrain to-night ; 
And that shall lend a kind of easiness 
To the next abstinence. Shale., Hamlet, iii. 4. 
He changed his faith and his allegiance two or three 
times, with a facility that evinced the looseness of his 
principles. Irving, Sketch-Book, p. 362. 
easiness 
, courtly, chivalrous song ; 
Century, XXVII. 783. 
ease or quiet. 
The state of being 
promoting ease and 
tranquillity. 
easel 1 (e'zl), n. [< D. ezel = G. esel, an easel, 
lit. an ass, = AS. esol, an ass: see ass 1 . For 
the particular meaning, ' a support,' cf . clothes- 
horse, saw-horse, saw-buck, F. chevalet, Sp. caba- 
llete, Pg. cavallete de pintor, It. cavalletto, an 
easel, clothes-horse, etc.] A frame in the form 
of a tripod for supporting a blackboard, paper, 
or canvas in drawing and painting ; also, a sim- 
with (4) L. otimn, ease (see otiose) ; or with (5) eage (z), v. t. ; pret. and pp. eased, ppr. easing. [< j] ar f ra me used as a rest for portfolios, large 
OHG. essa, MHG. G.esse (> Dan. esse), & forge, 
furnace, 
AS. ad, 
ME. esen, eisen, < OF. *eiser, aiser, aisier= Pr. ai- 
furnace, chimney, orig. a fireplace (akin to sar -pg.azar= It. agiare, ease; from the noun.] 
, a funeral pyre, dst, a furnace, kiln, > j rp o j. e ii eve or f ree from pain or bodily dis- 
" "' make 
E. oast, q. v.), whence, as some conjecture, quiet or anno 
'to be at one's ease' (F. Giro & son aise), orig. comfortable, 
'to be at one's hearth, feel at home'; or with 
(6) MLG. esse = G. esse = ODan. esse, Dan. es 
= Sw. esse, well-being, comfort, ease (appar. 
< L. esse, be, used as a noun) : unless indeed 
these last Teut. forms are, like the E . word, from 
the F. aise.'] 1. An undisturbed state of the 
body; freedom from labor, pain, or physical an- 
noyance of any kind; tranquil rest; physical 
comfort: as, he sits at his ease; to take one's 
ease. 
books, etc Easel-picture, easel-piece, (a) A mov- 
able picture painted on an easel, as distinguished from a 
painting on a wall, ceiling, etc. (6) A picture small enough 
to be placed on an easel lor exhibition after completion. 
easeP (e'sl), adv. [Sc., also written eassel, 
eastle, eastilt, appar. variations of eastlin, "east- 
ling, adv., easterly : see eastling. For the form, 
cf. deasil.] Eastward. 
Heaven, I hope, wil^me: I^msick.^ ^ & Ow,~, ye should haehadden^H.iappeltrin.n. 
The longer they live the worse they are, and death CaseleSS (ez'les), . [< ease + -less.-] Want- 
alone must cose them. Burton, Auat. of Mel., p. 262. ing ease ; lacking in ease. [Rare. J 
Send me some tokens, that my hope may live, 
Ther thei rested and esed hem [themselves] in the town 
as thei that ther-to hadde grete nede. 
Merlin (E. E. X. S.), ii. 172. 
Be comfortable to thy friends, and to thyselfe wish ease. 
Babees Book (E. E. T. S.), p. 99. 
Soul, 
take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 
Luke xii. 19. 
How blest is he who crowns, in shades like these, 
A youth of labour with an age of ease ! 
Goldsmith, Des. Vil., 1. 99. 
Better the toil . . . 
Than waking dream and slothful ease. 
Whitlif.r, Seed-time and Harvest. 
Thou mayest rejoice in the mansion of rest, because, by 
thy means, many living persons are eased or advantaged. 
Jer. Taylor, Holy Dying, iv. 9. 
2. To free from anxiety, care, or mental dis- 
turbance : as, the late news has eased my mind. 
Now first I find 
Mine eyes true opening, and my heart much eased. 
Milton, P. L., xii. 274. 
3. To release from pressure or tension; les- 
sen or moderate the tension, tightness, weight, 
closeness, speed, etc., of, as by slacking, lift- 
ing slightly, shifting a little, etc. : sometimes 
2. A quiet state of the mind; freedom from s J. ' t ship in 'a seaway by put- 
-**- =" 1 '"*"' 1 o *.-* tmgdoVn the helm, or by throwing some'cargo 
overboard; to ease a bar or a nut in machinery. 
concern, anxiety, solicitude, or anything that 
frets or ruffles the mind ; tranquillity. 
And Gonnore hym praide soone to come a-gein, " ffor 
neuer," quod [she], " shall I be in ese of herte vn-to the 
tyme that I yow se a-gein." Merlin (E. E. T. S.), ii. 360. 
Oh, did he light upon you ? what, he would have had you 
seek for ease at the hands of Mr. Legality? 
Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress, p. 100. 
Like a coy maiden, Ease, when courted most, 
Farthest retires an idol, at whose shrine 
Who olt'nest sacrifice are favor'd least. 
Cowper, Task, i. 409. 
Hence 3f. Comfort afforded or provided; sat- 
isfaction; relief; entertainment; accommoda- 
tion. 
But for the love of God they him bisoght 
Of herberwe [harborage) and of ese as for hir peny. 
Chaucer, Reeve's Tale, 1. 199. 
It is an ease to your friends abroad that you are more 
a man of business than heretofore ; for now it were an in- 
jury to trouble you with a busy letter. 
Donne, Letters, xxxi. 
A principal fruit of friendship is the ease and discharge 
of the fulness of the heart, which passions of all kinds do 
cause and induce. Bacon, Friendship (ed. 1887). 
It is an ease, Malfato, to disburthen 
Our souls of secret clogs. 
Ford, Lady's Trial, i. 3. 
4. Facility; freedom from difficulty or great 
labor : as, it can be done with great ease. 
When you please, 'tis done with ease. 
Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow (Child's Ballads, V. 387). 
Lamenting is altogether contrary to reioysing, euery 
man saith so, and yet is it a peece of ioy to be able to la- 
ment with ease. Puttenham, Arte of Eng. Poesie, p. 37. 
The Mob of Gentlemen who wrote with ease. 
Pope, Imit. of Horace, II. i. 108. 
5. Freedom from stiffness, constraint, or for- 
mality ; unaffectedness : as, ease of style ; ease 
of manner. 
True ease in writing comes from art, not chance. 
Pope, Essay on Criticism, 1. 362. 
At ease, in an undisturbed state ; free from pain or anxi- 
ety : used also with a qualification of emphasis (well at 
ease) or of negation (ill at ease, formerly sometimes evil on 
ease, ME. evele an eyse). 
His soul shall dwell at ease. Ps. xxv. 13. 
Ther I was well at ese, ffor ther was no thyng that I 
Desyred to have but I had it shortly. 
Torkington, Diarie of Eng. Travell, p. 7. 
I am very ill at ease, 
Unfit for mine own purposes. 
Shak., Othello, iii. 3. 
At one's ease, comfortable ; free from stiffness or formal- 
ity. Chapel of ease. See chapel. Little ease, a cell 
much too small for a prisoner, used as a torture in the 
reign of Elizabeth, - Syn. 1. Quiet, Tranquillity, etc. See 
rest. 4. Ease, Easiness, Facility. (See read-iness.) In con- 
nection with tasks of any sort, ease is subjective, and de- 
notes freedom from labor, or the power of doing things 
without seeming effort : as, he reads with ease. Easiness 
is in this connection generally objective, characterizing 
O ease your hand ! treat not so hard your slave ! 
Sir P. Sidney (Arber's Eng. Garner, I. 646). 
There may be times no doubt when the pressure by 
Russia upon ourselves in India may be eased o/by a dex- 
terous diplomatic use of European alliances and compli- 
cations. Fortnightly Rev., N. S., XLIII. 7. 
4. To relieve, as by the removal of a burden or 
an encumbrance; remove from, as a burden: 
with of before the thing removed: as, to ease a 
porter of his load. 
Or that my easeless thoughts may sleep and rest. 
Donne, The Token. 
I ceaselesse, easelesse pri'd about 
In every nook, furious to flnde her out. 
Vicars, tr. of Virgil (1632). 
easement (ez'ment), n. [< ME. esement, eyse- 
nient, < OF. aisement (= Pr. aizimen), < aiser, 
ease : see ease and -ment.~\ 1. That which gives 
ease, relief, or assistance; convenience; ac- 
commodation. 
Thei ben fulle grete Schipppes, and faire, and wel or- 
deyned, and made with Halles and Chambres, and other 
eusementes as thoughe it were on the Lond. 
Mandeville, Travels, p. 214. 
Here they of force (as fortune now did fall) 
Compelled were themselves awhile to rest, 
Glad of that easement, though it were but small. 
Spenser, F. Q., VI. iv. 15. 
He has the advantage of a free lodging, and some other 
easements. Swift. 
2. In lam, a right of accommodation in ano- 
ther's land ; such a right in respect to lands 
as that of passage, or of having free access of 
light and air which does not involve taking 
anything from the land ; more specifically, such 
a right when held in respect to one piece of 
The childeren hem vn-armed and wente to theire log- land by the owner of a neighboring piece by 
gyngis, and hem esed of all thinge that to inannys body 
belongeth. Merlin (E. E. T. S.), ii. 271. 
Will no man ease me o/this fool? 
Beau, and Fl. , Laws of Candy, ii. 1. 
I'll ease you of that care, and please myself in 't. 
Middleton, Chaste Maid, il. 2. 
He was not gone far, after his arrival, but the catfaliers 
met him and eased him of his money. 
Winthrop, Hist. New England, II. 119. 
virtue of his ownership of the latter. In refer- 
ence to this latter piece, the right is termed an easement; 
in reference to the former it is termed a servitude : but by 
some writers these terms are used indiscriminately. Ease- 
iiient, as distinguished from license, implies au interest in 
the servient tenement itself. 
3. In carp., same as ease-off. Apparent ease- 
ment, an easement "of such a nature that it may be seen 
or known on a careful inspection by a person ordinarily 
conversant with the subject" (L. A. Goodeve). 
Sir Thomas Smythe, having reluctantly prof essed a wish ease-Off (ez'6f), n. In carp., etc., a curve or 
to be eased o/his office, was dismissed. easy transition formed at the junction of two 
Bancroft, Hist. V. S., 1. 118. pie eS) moldingS) et c., which would otherwise 
5. To mitigate; alleviate; assuage; allay; me et at an angle, as at the junction of the wall- 
abate or remove in part, as any burden, pain, string of a flight of stairs with the base-board 
grief, anxiety, or disturbance. o f the wall, either above or below. 
Sound advice might ease hir wearie thoughtes. easily (e'zi-li), adv. [< ME. esily, esely, esiliche; 
Gascoigne, Steele Glas (ed. Arber), p. 62. < eas y + -J02.] In an easy manner ; with ease ; 
Kwethousomewhatthegrievousservitudeofthyfather. without difficulty, pain, labor, anxiety, etc.; 
smoothly; quietly; tranquilly: as, a task easily 
performed; an event easily foreseen; to pass 
life easily ; the carriage moves easily. 
Than meveth on monday two hourea be-fore day, and 
2 Chron. x. 4. 
Strong fevers are not eas'd 
With counsel, but with best receipts and means. 
Ford, Broken Heart, ii. 2. 
There . . . may sweet music ease thy pain 
Amidst our feast. 
William Morris, Earthly Paradise, III. 106. 
6. To render less difficult ; facilitate. 
My lords, to ease all this, but hear me speak. 
Marlowe, Edward II., i. 2. 
High over seas 
Flying, and over lands, with mutual wing 
Easing their flight. Milton, P. L., vii. 428. 
Ease her ! the command given to reduce the speed of a 
steamer's engine, generally preparatory to the command 
to "stop her," or " turn astern." To ease away (naut.), 
to slack gradually, as the fall of a tackle. To ease the 
helm. See helml.Syn. 2. To quiet, calm, tranquilize, 
still, pacify. 4. To disburden, disencumber. 
easeful (ez'ful), a. [< ease + -ful.~\ Attended 
by or affording ease; prompting rest or com- 
fort; quiet; peaceful; restful. 
To himself, he doth your gifts apply ; 
As his main force, choice sport, and easeful stay. 
Sir P. Sidney (Arber's Eng. Garner, I. 624). 
I spy a black, suspicious, threat'ning cloud, 
That will encounter with our glorious sun, 
Ere he attain his easeful western bed. 
SAa*.,3Hen. VI., v. S. 
, 
goth all esely oon after a-nother with-oute sore traveile. 
Merlin (E. E. T. S.), ii. 318. 
It is but a little abuse, say they, and it may be easily 
amended. Latimer, Sermon of the Plough. 
Coming to Norwich, he [Prince Lewis] takes that City 
easily, but Dover cost him a longer Siege. 
Baker, Chronicles, p. 72. 
Not soon provoked, she easily forgives. Prior. 
easiness (e'zi-nes), n. 1. The state of being 
easy ; the act of imparting or the state of en- 
joying ease ; restfulness : as, the easiness of a 
vehicle ; the easiness of a seat. 
I think the reason I have assigned hath a great interest 
in that rest and easiness we enjoy when asleep. May. 
2. Freedom from difficulty; ease of perform- 
ance or accomplishment : as, the easiness of an 
undertaking. 
Easiness and difficulty are relative terms. Tittotson. 
3. Flexibility; readiness to comply; prompt 
compliance ; a yielding or disposition to yield 
without opposition or reluctance: as, easiness 
of temper. 
