▪ I. ease, n.
(iːz)
Forms: 3 eaise, ays, esse, (4 hess, hayse), 3–4 eise, ais, 3–6 es(e, 4 ess, eyss, 4–5 eyse, ayse, 5 aiese, (hesse), 6 eas, (Sc.) eais, eis, 4– ease.
[a. OF. eise, aise (mod. aise) fem., cogn. w. Pr. ais, It. agio (formerly also asio), Pg. azo masc.; late L. type *asia, *asium, of uncertain origin.
The earliest senses of Fr. aise appear to be: 1. elbow-room (‘espace libre aux côtés de quelqu'un’, A. Darmesteter, from Heb.-Fr. gloss 11th c.); 2. opportunity. It has been suggested by Bugge that *asia, *asium may be f. āsa, a recorded vulgar form of L. ansa handle, used fig. in sense ‘opportunity, occasion’. With reference to the sense ‘elbow-room’ it is remarked that ansātus ‘furnished with handles’ is used in Lat. for ‘having the arms a-kimbo’. This is not very satisfactory, but it does not appear that any equally plausible alternative has yet been proposed. Connexion with eath is impossible.]
† I. 1. Opportunity, means or ability to do something (cf. easy a. 1).
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 288 Ȝif þer were eise uorto fulfullen þe dede. c 1230 Hali Meid. 17 Man seið þat eise makeð þeof. a 1500 Life St. Katherine (Halliwell 1848) 2 The riche come..and broghte with them ryches moche, And the pore come also And after there ese broght tho. |
II. Comfort, absence of pain or trouble.
2. Comfort, convenience; formerly also, advantage, profit, and in stronger sense, pleasure, enjoyment. to take one's ease: to make oneself comfortable. † to do (a person) ease: to give pleasure or assistance to. † to be (a person's) ease: to be pleasing, convenient, advantageous.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 114 Gruccheð ȝif heo naueð nout oðer mete oðer drunch efter hire eaise. c 1230 Hali Meid. 28 I-se swote eise wiðute swuch trubuil. a 1300 Cursor M. 22773 Werldis worschip..siluer and gold and esse [F. ese, C. es, Edinb. ais] of lijf. 1375 Barbour Bruce iii. 623 Bot mycht nane eyss let hyr to think On the king, that sa sar wes stad. 1393 Gower Conf. III. 35 The woundes of his malady They [i.e. the hounds] licken for to done him ese. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xviii. xlvi. (1495) 807 Them that liue delycately and in ease and reste. c 1400 Cato's Mor. 199 in Cursor M. p. 1672 Quen þou art in gode ese . þou þink on misese. c 1400 Rom. Rose 7500 We wolden, if it were your ese..A short sermon unto you seyne. c 1440 Gesta Rom. lxx. 386 (Add. MS.), I wil neþer selle it..for the aiese that it dothe me. 1503–4 Act 19 Hen. VII, xxviii. Preamb., His Highnes is not mynded for the eas of his subgiectes..of longe tyme to calle..a newe parliament. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cccxcvii. 686 It was nat his ease to come to Tourney as at that tyme. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. II. 653 He levis weill that levis into eis. a 1555 Latimer Wks. 1845 II. 479 Latimer:—‘Good master Prolocutor, do not exact that of me which is not in me.’ Prolocutor:—‘Take your ease.’ Latimer:—‘I thank you, sir, I am well.’ 1602 Shakes. Ham. i. i. 131 Any good thing..That may to thee do ease; and grace to me. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. ii. xxx. 184 The ease, and benefit the Subjects may enjoy. 1762–71 H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Paint. (1786) IV. 234 The General could not live in it to his ease. 1825 T. Jefferson Autobiog. Wks. 1859 I. 4 The portion which came..to Mrs. Jefferson..doubled the ease of our circumstances. 1841–4 Emerson Ess. Manners Wks. (Bohn) I. 205 The popular notion [of a gentleman] certainly adds a condition of ease and fortune. 1870 Hawthorne Eng. Note-bks. (1879) II. 217 The occasional ease of rustic seats. |
† b. concr. A convenience, gratification, luxury.
| 1393 Gower Conf. II. 38 Idelnesse..secheth eses many folde. 1484–5 Caxton Curial 3 b, Noman preyseth ynough the ayses that he hath in hys pryuate and propre hous. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 81 She can cause her prelate to dispence with her to haue suche pleasures & eases. 1629 Parkinson Paradisi in sole (1656) 5 A Fountain in the midst..to serve as an ease to water the nearest parts thereunto. a 1631 Donne Serm. xxxix. 384 Uriah..refused to take the Eases of his own house. |
3. Absence of pain or discomfort; freedom from annoyance.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 358 Nis he a kang knit þet secheð reste iðe nihte, and eise iðe place? a 1300 Havelok 59 Þanne was engelond at hayse. 1597 Morley Introd. Mus. 55, I wish you such contentment of minde, and ease of bodie. 1657 S. Purchas Pol. Flying Ins. 276 There were more ease in a nest of Hornets, then under this one torture. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 80 ¶1 They now no longer enjoyed the Ease of Mind and pleasing Indolence in which they were formerly happy. 1750 Johnson Rambl. No. 85 ¶4 Ease, a neutral state between pain & pleasure. 1792 Burke Corr. (1844) IV. 1 The horrid scenes..hardly leave one ease enough of heart or clearness of head to put down any thing..on paper to you. 1863 Geo. Eliot Romola ii. ii. (1880) II. 16 He wanted a little ease..after the agitation and exertions of the day. |
4. Absence of painful effort; freedom from the burden of toil; leisure; in bad sense, idleness, sloth.
| 1393 Gower Conf. III. 110 He loveth ese, he loveth rest, So he is nought the worthiest. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 143 Ese, or reste, quies. 1577 tr. Bullinger's Decades (1592) 138 Ease breedeth vice. 1697 Dryden Virg. George. i. 184 The Sire of Gods and Men..Forbids our Plenty to be bought with Ease. 1871 R. Ellis Catullus li. 15 Ease hath entomb'd princes of old renown and Cities of honour. |
b. Facility as opposed to difficulty. Chiefly in phrase, with ease.
| 1610 Shakes. Temp. iii. i. 30, I should do it With much more ease. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 137 With ease distinguish'd is the Regal Race. 1737 Pope Horace' Epist. ii. i. 108 The mob of gentlemen who wrote with ease. 1856 Ruskin Mod. Paint. III. iv. xvi. §27 Another..test of greatness is..the appearance of Ease with which the thing is done. 1868 Tennyson Lucretius 174 Seeing with how great ease Nature can smile. |
c. Indifference, unconcern; absence of hesitation or scruple.
| 1808 Bentham Sc. Reform 2 In your lordship it beholds its patron and introducer; the author, it is matter of ease to me not to know. 1818 Jas. Mill Brit. India II. v. viii. 661 Where the Governor-General spoke of pensions with so much ease, he well knew, that in the circumstances..a pension..little or nothing differed from a name. |
5. Freedom from constraint; an unconstrained position or attitude; esp. in Mil. phrase, to stand at ease: see quot.
| 1802 C. James Mil. Dict., Ease..signifies a prescribed relaxation of the frame from the erect and firm position which every well-dressed soldier should assume..To stand at ease is to draw the right foot back about six inches, and to bring the greatest part of the weight of the body upon it. 1830 Marryat King's Own xli, His usual ‘stand at ease’ position. 1833 Regul. Instr. Cavalry i. 43 Stand at Ease. Ibid. 61 Sit at Ease. 1853 Stocqueler Milit. Encycl. s.v. Stand, To stand at ease is to be allowed..a certain indulgence with regard to bodily position, with or without arms. |
6. Freedom from embarrassment or awkwardness in social behaviour.
| 1750 Johnson Rambl. No. 157 ¶8 Enabled me to discourse with ease and volubility. a 1764 LLoyd Whim, Wears his own mirth with native ease. 1832 H. Martineau Hill & Vall. iv. 65 Mrs. Wallace envied Mrs. Sydney the ease and kindness with which she conversed. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. 469 A certain graceful ease marks him as a man who knows the world. 1863 Froude Hist. Eng. VIII. 91 She..moved about among the dignitaries of the University, with combined authority and ease. |
7. Phrases (senses 1–6). a. at ease, at one's ease, † well at ease: in comfort, without anxiety or annoyance, unconstrained, unembarrassed; formerly also, in comfortable circumstances, well-to-do. b. ill († evil) at ease: uncomfortable, uneasy. † c. little ease: used as a name for a prison-cell too small to permit the person occupying it to assume a comfortable position.
| a. a 1300 Cursor M. 13136 All war sett and ete at esse. Ibid. 17651 He was gestind ful wele at ais. 1375 Barbour Bruce i. 228 He levys at ess that frely levys. c 1450 Merlin xxii. 397 Galashin was not all at his ese, ffor he was yet a-monge the horse feet. 1535 Coverdale Hosea ii. 7, I will go turne agayne to my first huszbonde, for at y{supt} tyme was I better at ease, then now. 1668–9 Marvell Corr. cix. Wks. 1872–5 II. 268 If..you have given us a rule to walke by, our discretion will be more at ease. 1670 Cotton Espernon ii. v. 210 Monied men..amongst whom his Majesty conceiving the Duke of Espernon to be one the most at his ease, etc. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 106 ¶2, I am the more at Ease in Sir Roger's Family, because it consists of sober and staid Persons. 1821 Syd. Smith Lett. cc, An old Aunt has..left me an estate..this puts me a little at my ease. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. §27. 202 We all felt more at ease when a safe footing was secured. 1868 E. Edwards Ralegh I. xxiv. 564 He felt much more at his ease in the saddle than afoot. |
| b. a 1300 Cursor M. 16119 Mi wyf es sumquat iuel at ess [v.r. ese]. a 1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 59 She..was of euelle atte ease in this worlde. 1483 Vulg. abs Terentio 2 a, Iii. or .iiii. days ȝitt j was euyll att ese in my hede. 1642 T. Taylor God's Judgem. i. i. xx. 70 He feigned himselfe to be evill at ease. 1832 Tennyson Miller's Dau. xix, You were ill at ease..Too fearful that you should not please. |
| c. 1690 W. Walker Idiomat. Anglo-Lat. 156 A little ease (i.e. a prison). 1829 Heath Grocer's Comp. (1869) 92 note, Little Ease was a place of confinement for unruly apprentices; it was situated in the Guildhall. |
III. Relief, alleviation. [Somewhat influenced by the verb.]
8. Relief or mitigation of pain or discomfort; release from an annoyance. Const. from, of.
| 1542–3 Act 34 & 35 Hen. VIII, viii. §1 Surgions..mindinge onely their owne lucres, & nothing the profit or ease of the disesed or pacient. 1588 Allen Admon. 17 Sum little ease and release of the intollerable feares and miseries. 1702 J. Purcell Cholick (1714) 103 The Patient breaks much Wind upwards and downwards, and finds Ease thereby. 1729 Butler Serm. Wks. 1874 II. 61 That positive enjoyment, which sudden ease from pain..affords. 1775 Johnson Tax. no Tyr. 61 That a great man may get ease from importunity. 1841 Lane Arab. Nts. I. 112 Liberate him, said the King, and give us ease. |
b. † to do one's ease: to relieve the bowels. So seat, † house of ease.
| c 1645 Howell Lett. (1655) I. §1. xviii. 28 It happen'd the King was come from doing his Ease. 1731 Swift Strephen & C. Wks. 1755 IV. i. 157 Had you but through a cranny spied, On house of ease your future bride. c 1850 Rudim. Navig. (Weale) 143 Round-house at the Head. Conveniences or seats of ease for the officers. |
c. chapel of ease: see chapel. So also (humorously) court of ease, theatre of ease: one provided to relieve the crowding in a larger building.
| 1779 Sheridan Critic i. i, Make the stage a court of ease to the old Bailey. 1796 J. Owen Trav. Europe II. 429 It seems a sort of theatre of ease to that called the National. |
9. Relief from constraint or pressure; abrogation or alleviation of a burden or obligation; † redress of grievances. † writ of ease: a certificate of discharge from employment; transf. a ‘bill of divorcement’.
| 1576 Lambarde Peramb. Kent (1826) 107 Hastings, Dover, Hithe [etc.]..were the first Ports of priviledge..although..divers other places also (for the ease of their charge) be crept in. 1587 Fleming Contn. Holinshed III. 1345/2 Thus was justice ministred, and that execution to Gods glorie, & the ease of the common wealths greefe dispatched. 1643 Milton Divorce ii. xvi. (1851) 103 Salomith..sent a writ of ease to..her husband; which, as Josephus there attests, was lawfull only to men. 1647–8 Sir C. Cotterell Davila's Hist. Fr. (1678) 18 Having..tried gentle measures, and..found no Ease. 1679–1714 Burnet Hist. Ref., Mischiefs..might follow, if princes get not..ease from the apostolic see. 1693 W. Robertson Phraseol. Gen. 519 He hath a writ of ease given him; rude donatus est. |
† 10. concr. (from 8, 9): An act or means of relieving pain or discomfort, of giving relaxation from burdens, an easement, relief. Obs.
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 143 Ese, or cowmfort, levamen, consolamen. 1603 Florio Montaigne ii. xii. (1632) 275 Eases of griefes he reposeth..in calling from the thought of offence. 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. v. x. 56 Till then, Ile sweate, and seeke about for eases. 1701 J. Law Counc. Trade (1751) 172 This ease..of the industry, would chiefly and principally fall on the lands by two several ways. a 1718 Penn Life in Wks. 1726 I. 129 Dissenters receiv'd a General Ease, and enjoy'd their Meetings peaceably. 1737 Whiston Josephus' Antiq. iii. iii, That [discovery of springs] was an ease to them [the Israelites suffering thirst]. 1747 in Col. Rec. Penn. V. 141 Required by His Majesty from those Colonies to be done in ease of the National Expence. |
IV. 11. Comb., as † ease-bred, ease-loving adjs.; ease-and-comfort, a leg-rest, consisting of two boards fixed in the shape of a T; † ease-room, a comfortable lodging-room; cf. easement 1 d.
| 1591 Troubl. Raigne K. John (1611) 62 The ease-bred Abbots, and the bare-foot Friars..Are all in health. 1629 Rutherford Let v. (1862) I. 47 In your house there are fair ease-rooms and pleasant lights. 1847 C'tess Blessington M. Herbert (Tauchn.) I. 126 A bergère in each of the rooms, with abundant pillows to prop up her weak frame, and an ease-and-comfort to each, to support her legs. 1878 R. B. Smith Carthage 175 Around Hanno gathered all that was ease-loving, all that was shortsighted. |
▪ II. ease
obs. and dial. var of eaves.
▪ III. ease, v.
(iːz)
Forms: 4 eysy, eyse, (heise), eyss, (Sc.) eiss, eese, ayse(n, 4–5 esy(n, 4–6 ese(n, 5– ease.
[Prob. originally ad. OF. aaisier = It. adagiare, f. L. ad to, at + late L. *asiu-m ease n.1; but virtually f. the n.]
1. a. trans. To give ease (physically) to; to render more comfortable, relieve from pain, etc. Also with out of and (U.S.) with up.
| 1340 Ayenb. 82 Þo þet byeþ zuo wyse to loky þet body and to eysy and to delyty. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xvii. liii. (1495) 635 Iuy hathe vertue of rypynge, of clensynge and of easynge. ? a 1400 Chester Pl. ii. (1847) 5 This woman..That esead me this hasse. 1413 Lydg. Pylgr. Sowle iv. xxxii. (1483) 81 Oftimes these armes wil bleden to esen and comforten the hede. 1535 Coverdale 1 Sam. xvi. 23 So was Saul refreszshed, & eased. 1588 J. Udall Diotrephes (Arb.) 7 Though it grieue mee to thinke vpon it, yet it easeth my stomacke to tell it. 1809 Med. Jrnl. XXI. 56 He drank it because it ‘broke the wind, and eased’ him. 1847 Emerson Poems, Dæmonic Love, Even the fell Furies are appeased, The good applaud, the lost are eased. 1916 ‘Boyd Cable’ Action Front 148 There is nothing we can do for him..except morphia again, to ease him out of his pain. 1923 R. D. Paine Comr. Rolling Ocean v. 83 The doctor is down there easing up the guys that got the hide burned off 'em. |
† b. To refresh with repose or food: to entertain, accommodate hospitably. Also refl. Obs.
| 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 96 Toward Wynchestre þam dight, his folk forto eyse. Ibid. 192 Seke were þer heised, heled þam of wound. 1375 Barbour Bruce xiv. 387 Thai esyt thame, and maid gud cher. c 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. 1336 Theseus..festeth hem, and doth so gret labour To esen hem. c 1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 232 That night had i..mi stede esed of the best. c 1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 2816 Anazaree..into a feire chambre him ladd, And eased him as a fre prisovn. c 1450 Lonelich Grail xlii. 543 [Se] that..they ben esed with the beste. c 1440 Gesta Rom. lxi. 257 (Harl. MS.) His squier soȝte an host, for swiche a worthi knyȝt to be eside ynne. 1650 Row[son] Hist. Kirk (1842) 513 To harbour more souldiers nor conuenientlie they can lodge & ease. 1695 Blackmore Pr. Arth. vi. 457 Boldly fall on, before their Troops are eas'd. |
c. to ease nature, ease oneself: to relieve the bowels.
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 143 Esyn, stercoriso, merdo, egero. 1581 Mulcaster Positions vi. (1887) 47 Passage to dismisse excrements which easeth. 1611 Bible Deut. xxiii. 13 If thou wilt ease thyself. 1697 Potter Antiq. Greece i. xxvi. (1715) 145 Whosoever easeth Nature in Apollo's Temple shall be Indicted. 1877 E. Peacock N.-W. Linc. Gloss. (E.D.S.), Ease one's self, to relieve the bowels. 1926 T. E. Lawrence Seven Pillars (1935) xliv. 256 Gasim explained that he had dismounted to ease nature. |
2. To give ease of mind to; to comfort, disburden, relieve (the mind or heart). Also refl.
| c 1340 Cursor M. 13868 (Trin.) He esed him wiþ wordes hende. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 1700 And with oure speche lat us ese oure herte. 1483 Vulg. abs Terentio 6 b, I shall ese my mynde or hertt, animo meo morem gessero. 1526 Tindale Matt. xi. 28 Come unto me..and I will ese you. 1631 Gouge God's Arrows iv. viii. 385 Torment [may prove] an occasion of easing the mind. 1732 Pope Ep. Bathurst 365 Some scruple rose, but thus he eas'd his thought. 1807 Crabbe Hall of Just. i. 29 Give me to ease my tortured mind. 1820 Keats Hyper. i. 112 And all those acts which Deity supreme Doth ease its heart of love in. 1848 Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 294 The Chancellor..could not well ease himself by cursing and swearing at Ormond. |
† 3. To give relief to (any one suffering from oppression, or burdened with expenses or laborious duties) in wider sense; to benefit, help, assist. Also (rarely) absol. Obs. or arch.
| 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Prol. 84, I made it not forto be praysed, Bot [þ]at þe lewed menne were aysed. 1389 in Eng. Gilds (1870) 8 So þat þe somme be nat so moche þ{supt} on may be esed as wel as an oþer. 1553 Eden Treat. New Ind. (Arb.) 16 As though they would ease you with a sterope. 1587 Fleming Contn. Holinshed III. 1541/2 They were afterwards eased by purueiors appointed for those and other purposes. a 1619 Donne Biȧthan. (1644) 100 If that rule..be..a good guide in all perplexities, it will ease very much. 1647 Protests Lords I. 15 The kingdom eased..by the discharging of all unnecessary forces. 1653 Urquhart Rabelais i. xlv, He..gave unto each of them a horse to ease them upon the way. 1697 Phil. Trans. XIX. 746 Towards the latter end of Summer..they constantly eased the Country, and retired of themselves. 1761–2 Hume Hist. Eng. (1806) IV. lxiii. 713 The declared intention of easing the dissenters. |
4. a. To relieve, lighten, set free (a person, etc.) of († from) a burden, pain, anxiety, or trouble.
| 1393 Gower Conf. III. 354 Thou shalt be esed er thou go Of thilke unsely jolif wo. c 1460 Fortescue Abs. & Lim. Mon. (1714) 75 His Son, King Roboham, would not ease them thereoff. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 13 b, In maner easynge them of theyr labour. 1535 Coverdale Ps. lxxx.[lxxxi.] 6 He eased his shulder from the burthen. 1575–85 Abp. Sandys Serm. (1841) 227 If this law were observed, the people should be eased of great expences, judges and justices of great travail. 1630 J. Taylor (Water P.) Trav. Prague Wks. III. 90, I am no sooner eased of him, but Gregory Gandergoose..catches me by the goll. 1663 Charleton Chor. Gigant. 9 Nor, indeed, can I ease you of that wonder. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 486 The Pastor..eases of their Hair, the loaden Herds. 1725 Pope Odyss. xxi. 342 Ease your bosoms of a fear so vain. 1748 Anson Voy. i. vi. 63 To ease the expedition of all unnecessary expence. 1833 H. Martineau Brooke F. vi. 76 To ease my mind of all worldly concerns. 1862 Borrow Wales I. 34 A powerful priest..has..eased me of my sins. |
b. in pass. with prep. omitted. poet. rare.
| 1667 Milton P.L. iv. 739 [Adam & Eve] eas'd the putting off These troublesom disguises which wee wear, Strait side by side were laid. |
c. humorously. To deprive, despoil of.
| 1609 Holland Livy xxxvii. xiii. 952 Having eased them [exutos] of a great part of their prey..he chased themselves to the sea unto their ships. a 1639 Massinger Unnat. Combat iii. ii. (R.) He is sure to be eased of his office, though perhaps he bought it. 1832 J. P. Kennedy Swallow Barn II. i. 4 He became notorious for picking up stragglers..and now and then, for easing a prisoner of his valuables. 1882 Sydney Slang Dict. 4/1 Ease, to rob. To Ease a Bloak, to rob a gentleman. |
d. to ease in or ease into: to ‘break in’ gently (to work, etc.); to move or manœuvre into (a place, appointment, etc.). Similarly, to ease out.
| 1892 Leisure Hour May 462/1 He is gradually eased in to his work. 1951 N.Y. Times 28 Nov. 1/6 There have been many precedents in the Soviet satellites for easing prominent Communist leaders into jail by incessive steps. 1955 Times 10 May 8/7 It is being suggested that the Russians are easing him out of office because of the resistance he is said to have shown towards some of their demands. 1968 Listener 1 Aug. 133/3 A fair number..have either been pensioned off or eased into some job which gives them a living. |
e. Dressmaking. To join two pieces of material whose edges are of unequal length in such a way that the extra fullness of the larger section is distributed evenly along the join. Freq. with in.
| 1932 D. C. Minter Mod. Needlecraft 108/2 Allow sufficient width at armhole to allow for easing in. 1967 Simplicity 7391 (Simplicity Pattern Co. Inc.), To ease top of sleeve, stitch along seam line and 1/4{pp} inside seam line between notches, using a long machine-stitch. Ibid., Slip-stitch, easing in fulness. 1968 J. Ironside Fashion Alphabet 82 Ease, v. When one section of a garment is fuller than another to which it is to be joined, the excess material is distributed evenly without gathers or pleats and usually pressed away. |
5. a. To lighten (a burden, etc.); to lessen (an inconvenience); to assuage, relieve (pain, distress).
| a 1374 Chaucer Troylus iii. 950 And ech of ȝow eseth otheres sorwes smerte. 1586 J. Hooker Girald. Irel. in Holinsh. II. 152/2 And for easing whereof he..in verie deed had also promised, and deuised how and by what means these charges might be answered. 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. v. i. 35 Is there no play To ease the anguish of a torturing houre? 1601 R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. (1603) 112 The haven is not very large nor safe, but that inconvenience is somewhat eased by an artificiall key. 1633 G. Herbert Temple, Crosse vi, Ah my deare Father, ease my smart. 1701 Col. Rec. Penn. II. 109 'Tis resolved that it cannot be eased or remitted. 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) IV. 355 The horse and the ass..contribute to ease his fatigues. 1834 H. Martineau Moral i. 3 Machinery, which easeth man's labour. 1846 M{supc}Culloch Acc. Brit. Empire (1854) II. 133 This conduct is found conducive to easing the rates. |
b. poet. To rest from, relax (labour).
| 1715–20 Pope Iliad x. 543 Eased in sleep the labours of the day. 1871 R. Ellis Catullus lxiii. 36 The rest which easeth long toil. |
6. To render easy, facilitate. rare.
| 1632 Mass. & Field Fatal Dow. ii. i, My miracle is eased. 1667 Milton P.L. vii. 430 [Storks] with mutual wing Easing thir flight. 1795 Anderson Narr. Embassy China in Morse Amer. Geog (1796) II. 516 But with this aid in easing the passage, the beginning of the ascent has a very fearful appearance. |
7. a. To relax slightly (anything that is too tight); to move gently; to lift slightly; to shift a little, make to fit.
| Mod. Tell the carpenter to ease the door a little. |
b. To move, lift, or shift down gradually or gently; or spec. into a person's pocket.
| 1688 S. Sewall Diary 31 Oct. in Mass. Hist. Soc. Coll. (1878) 5th Ser. V. 234, I help'd to ease the Corps into the Grave. 1850 N. Kingsley Diary 154 The road is verry steep..so bad in some places that a rope is necessary to ease them down with. a 1875 ‘Mark Twain’ Works (1900) XIX. 246 The widow caught the limp form and eased it to the earth. Ibid. 252 ‘Ease this down for a fellow, will you?’ I eased the gravestone down till it rested on the ground. 1926 J. Black You can't Win iv. 41 The only thing to do is to blow back his money. Either the lawyer or one of the girls eased in into his coat pocket. |
8. a. intr. To cease, slacken. Cf. 10 b.
| 1583 Exec. for Justice (1675) 46 The remnant of the wicked flock..would ease from their..libellings. 1875 Robinson Whitby Gloss. (E.D.S.), Ease, to cease operations, abate. T'rains boun to ease a bit. 1937 New Statesman 25 Dec. 1089/1 The fighting in northern China has eased a little since the fall of Nanking. |
b. To relax or cease one's efforts, spec. in rowing; also with up; to ease all, to stop rowing (cf. easy v.).
| 1863 Rowing & Sailing 55 This spurt should be continued till the boat begins to rock, when it is better to ‘ease all’ than to attempt altering the stroke into a milder one. 1882 Daily Tel. 2 Mar. (Cassell), They also row right through to Iffley without easing. 1883 ‘Mark Twain’ Life on Miss. 44, I eased up and went slow and cautious. Ibid. xii. 115 When the measurements indicate that the yawl is approaching the shoalest part of the reef, the command is given to ‘Ease all!’ 1889 J. K. Jerome Three Men in Boat v. 73 On catching sight of Harris and me.., he eased up and stared. 1915 ‘Boyd Cable’ Between Lines 25 ‘Can't you keep on belting 'em for a bit?’ asked the Platoon officer. ‘Might make 'em ease up on us.’ 1945 E. Waugh Brideshead Revisited ii. iv. 262 She's playing up the religious stuff at the moment for all it's worth. I daresay she'll ease up a bit when she's settled. |
c. to ease up intr. To become less burdensome.
| 1939 M. Spring Rice Working-Class Wives iv. 79 Things will ease up a bit soon when the children get older. |
9. Naut. Often with away, down, off: to slacken (a rope, sail, etc.). to ease up: to come up handsomely with a tackle-fall. Also in forms of command, as ease away! ease off!: slacken out a rope or tackle. ease her! (in a steam vessel): reduce the speed of the engine. ease the helm!: put the helm down a few spokes in a head sea. (Adm. Smyth.)
| 1627 Capt. Smith Seaman's Gram. v. 20 When the Shrouds are too stiffe, we say, ease them. 1692 ibid. xvi. 76 To make her go more large, they say, Ease the Helm. 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1789), Larguer..l'Ecoute, to ease off the sheet. 1833 Marryat P. Simple (1863) 101 Ease the ship with a spoke or two when she scuds. 1841 Punch I. 35 The dirty lad below, whose exclamation of ‘Ease her—stop her—one turn ahead’—may one day be destined to give the word of command on the quarter deck. 1859 Gen. P. Thompson Audi Alt. II. xcv. 78 The present government might have stood its ground, if it had known how to ease off the rope handsomely. 1860 H. Stuart Seaman's Catech. 8 Luff and ease off the fore-sheet. 1881 Daily Tel. 5 July 2/2 She ratched like a phantom to windward of us, and..eased away her sheets fore and aft. 1882 Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 132 The earings are eased down. |
10. ease off. a. trans. To get rid of with the view of giving or obtaining relief. b. intr. To become less burdensome.
| 1884 S. Dowell Hist. Taxation I. 177 It was an object with the king to ease off the business. 1884 Manchester Exam. 11 Oct. 4/1 To-morrow..the rates are likely to again ease off. 1887 Spectator 30 July 1012/1 Every effort to ease off the immediate pressure of the agrarian difficulty. |
c. intr. To fall away with a gentle slope.
| 1880 ‘Mark Twain’ Tramp Abroad xli. 477 The slope eased off,..and Croz and I, dashing away, ran a neck-and-neck race. 1925 E. F. Norton Fight for Everest, 1924 79 The slope began to ease off towards the edge of the shelf above. |
d. trans. To fire off.
| 1916 ‘Taffrail’ Carry On 93 What I do want is a nice little cruiser or a destroyer; something, at any rate, to ease off the guns at. 1962 W. Granville Dict. Sailors' Slang 44/1 Ease off a fish, fire a torpedo (Submariners). |
e. intr. To take things easily.
| 1925 E. F. Norton Fight for Everest, 1924 35 It enabled us to..have a welcome bath, and generally ease off after our first taste of high-level marching. |
11. intr. Of shares: to become easier, fall in value.
| 1900 Daily News 5 Mar. 10/7 There is no easing in the prices for coal. 1904 Financial Times 23 Nov. 1/7 Sewing Cottons eased off to 12s. 3d. 1927 Daily Tel. 22 Nov. 2 Marconi eased 3d. and Eastern Telegraph declined 3. |
Hence eased ppl. a.
| 1851 Ord. & Regul. R. Engineers §27. 124 The Arms to be carefully deposited in the Rack, with eased springs. 1877 M. Arnold Heine's Grave, Poems II. 257 Cool drinks, and an eased Posture and opium. |
Add: [7.] c. intr. To move oneself gently or gradually away, in, out, etc. Chiefly N. Amer.
| 1924 ‘W. Fabian’ Sailors' Wives vi. 96 ‘Where's Rollo?’.. ‘Gone home, I believe.’ ‘With Roy Bretton?’ ‘No. Max Slater. They eased out an hour ago.’ 1938 M. K. Rawlings Yearling xi. 116 Reckon I'll jest ease around the edge to git me my wash. Ibid. xiii. 135 ‘Now, Punkin, see can you sit up.’ Penny slipped his hands under the pillow and Jody eased up slowly. 1942 Berrey & Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Slang §56/3 Ease..in, to arrive gradually. Ibid. §57/2 Ease in,..to enter casually. 1955 F. O' Connor Wise Blood vii. 125 He sat down on the ground and eased under the Essex. 1977 R. Carver Furious Seasons 79 He eased in behind the steering wheel. 1979 J. C. Oates Unholy Loves (1980) i. 33 She should allow Miss Feler to befriend her... But somehow she always eases adroitly away. 1985 G. Keillor Lake Wobegon Days (1986) 152 It's hard to get comfortable if you're tall, you have to ease down until you balance on a particular vertebra. |
| fig.1978 T. O' Brien Going after Cacciato xvi. 104 He let his mind ease away. 1984 A. F. Loewenstein This Place 62 Candy felt happiness ease through all her bones. |
d. refl. (esp. with reference to sitting down).
| 1934 in Webster s.v., To ease oneself into a chair. 1942 W. Faulkner Go down, Moses 20 Uncle Buck eased himself down onto the bottom step. 1942 E. Paul Narrow St. xx. 164 Most of the Surrealists eased themselves back into the intelligentsia or the bourgeoisie, or both. 1969 R. Rendell Best Man to Die vii. 60 He eased himself to his feet and scrambled back to Wexford. 1990 D. M. Thomas Lying Together xiv. 152 He eased himself into a faded and lumpy armchair. |