eath, eith, a. and adv. Obs. exc. Sc.
(iːð, iːθ)
Forms: 1–3 eað(e, eð(e, 1–4 eþ(e, 3–6 eth(e, 3 æþ, eið, eitht, ith, ieþe, yþe, 4–5 eyth, (4 eeþ, eeth, eȝathe), 6 eathe, 6– eath, Sc. eith.
[OE. éaþe adv. = OS. ôðo easily, perhaps, OHG. ôdo perhaps (also in un-ôdo ‘with difficulty’):—OTeut. *auþô; the combining form éaþ- = ON. auð-, as in auð-gǫrr easy to do. Of the adj. the normal OE. form is {iacu}eþe, {yacu}þe (also used as adv.) = OS. ôđi easy, OHG. ôdi easy, possible:—WGer. *auþjo-z; perh. the word was orig. an -u stem, which would account for the existence of the form éaþ(e without umlaut. The OE. compar. degree of the adv. was {iacu}eþ, éþ, but there is no distinct evidence of its survival into ME.
It has been disputed whether the present word is related to OHG. ôdi, MHG. ôde, œde, mod.G. öde, ON. auðr, Goth. auþs (? or auþeis, auþus), desert, uninhabited, empty. The sense offers no valid objection to the connexion of the words, as the notion of ‘empty’ might give rise both to that of ‘desert’ and to that of ‘free from difficulties’.]
A. adj.
1. Of an action: Easy, not difficult.
| c 1200 Ormin 19673 And Crist wass æþ to witenn þatt Forr Crist wat alle þingess. a 1300 Cursor M. 18385 Of eldrin men þai mette wit tuin, Þat þai war ald was eth [v.r. ith] to se. c 1340 Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 676 To fynde hys fere vpon folde, in fayth is not eþe. 1375 Barbour Bruce xvii. 454 It wes nocht eyth till ta the toune. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. vi. xxi, In olde men abstinence of mete is eth and esy. 1513 Douglas æneis Exclamatioun 28 Far eithar is..Ane othir sayaris faltis to spy and note, Than but offence or falt thame self to wryte. c 1579 Montgomerie Navigation 200 To the Porte of Leith: To come right in, we thoght it very eith. 1647 H. More Cupid's Confl. xiii, And eath it was, since they're so near a kin. 1748 Thomson Cast. Indol. i. lxxiv, To stir him from his traunce it was not eath. 1821 Mrs. Wheeler App. Cumbrld. Dial. 10 E'en yet its eith to trace A guilty conscience in my blushing feace. 1862 A. Hislop Prov. Scotl. 55 Eith working when will's at hame. |
b. Of a passage, etc.: That may be travelled with ease, not rough.
| Beowulf 228 (Gr.) Wedera leode..ᵹode þancedon Þæs þe him yþlade eaðe wurdon. 1579 Spenser Sheph. Cal. July 90 Hereto, the hilles bene nigher heauen, and thence the passage ethe. 1627 P. Fletcher Locusts i. ix, Hels yron gates to every guilty soule yeelds entrance eath. |
2. Of the object, means, or method of an action: Making slight resistance; presenting few difficulties;
= easy. Const.
inf., usually active in form but passive in sense.
| a 1225 Juliana 57 Wenest tu þat we beon se eð to biwihelin? a 1240 Wohunge in Cott. Hom. 279 Pouerte wið menske is eað for to þolien. 1297 R. Glouc. (1810) 327 He was symple & myldore, & eþ to ouercome. c 1374 Chaucer Troylus v. 849 He was ethe ynough to maken dwelle. c 1400 Rom. Rose 3955 A foole is eyth to bigyle. c 1450 Henryson Mor. Fab. 58 The Bairne is eith to buske that is vnborne. 1532 More Confut. Tindale Wks. 382/1, I woulde euery other thinge wer as ethe to mend as thys is. a 1535 ― Wks. 83 For as saint Poule saith, y⊇ fleshly sinnes be eth to perceiue. 1632 Sanderson Serm. 323 A great mountaine is eath to be seene. 1691 Ray N.C. Words Coll. 23 It is eath to do, i. e. Easie. 1847–8 H. Miller First Impr. xiv. (1857) 235 One of our old Scotch proverbs [says] God's bairns are eath to lear, i. e. easily instructed. |
† b. Of a person: Easy to be entreated, gentle; in
ME. with genit,
eði modes gentle of mood. Also, Ready, susceptible;
const. inf. Obs.| c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 2249 God hunne him eði-modes ben. 1596 Spenser F.Q. iv. vi. 40 Her gentle hart..More eath was new impression to receive. |
† 3. Comfortable, at ease, free from pain.
| c 1205 Lay. 2234 Eð him wes on heorten. Ibid. 8178 Þa wes his hurte æðe. Ibid. 1250 Þo was he þe eþere. |
B. adv. Easily, without difficulty.
| a 1000 Boeth. Metr. ix. 54 He wel meahte Þæt unriht him eðe forbiodan. a 1000 Andreas 425 (Gr.) God eaðe mæᵹ heaðoliðendum helpe ᵹefremman. c 1175 Cott. Hom. 219 He wolde and eaðe mihte bien his sceoppinde ȝelic. a 1200 Moral Ode 284 in Cott. Hom. 177 Ieþe he muwen ben of-drad þe hine sculled bi-helde. a 1225 Ancr. R. 62 Ablinde þe heorte, heo is eð ouercumen, & ibrouht sone mid sunne to grunde. a 1300 K. Horn 61 So fele miȝten yþe Bringe hem þre to diþe. a 1300 Cursor M. 11219 Moght he not þan..Be born vte of a maiden eth At þe time o nine moneth? c 1315 Shoreham 7 Wel eȝathe, God thorwe miracles ketheth hit A-lyve and eke a-dethe. c 1460 Towneley Myst. 193 Oone worde myght thou speke ethe. 1538 Starkey England i. ii. §6 (1871) 32 We may the..ether also avoyd thys ignorance. 1600 Fairfax Tasso x. xlii. 187 Who thinkes him most secure is eathest shamed. a 1774 Fergusson Rising of Sess. Poems (1845) 28 Eith can the pleugh-stilts gar a chiel Be unco vogie Clean to lick aff his crowdie-meal. 1862 A. Hislop Prov. Scotl. 54 Eith learned, soon forgotten. |
C. eath- in
Comb. 1. Forming
adjs. (which did not survive beyond 14th c.), the final element being
f. the stem of a verb:
eðbete [see
beet v.], easy to amend;
eðfele [see
feel v.], easily felt;
eþgete [see
get v.], easily obtained;
eðlete [see
let v.
1, and
cf. OE. earfoðlǽte emitted with difficulty], easily dismissed, lightly esteemed;
eðluke [see
louk v.], easily pulled;
eðsene [see
sene a.,
see v.], easy to see;
eþwinne [see
win v.], easy to win.
| c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 63 Þat we hauen agilt her biforen..buð *eðbete gif hie us sore rieweð. |
| c 1225 Ancr. R. 194 Uorði þet heo beoð *eð fele. |
| c 1000 ælfric on O. & N. Test. 32 (Bosw.) Him wæs *eaþgete ele to ðam baþe. c 1275 Sinners Beware 19 in O.E. Misc. 74 Þy vs is eþ-gete Helle þat is unlede. |
| a 1200 Moral Ode 38 in E.E.P. (1862) 24 *Eðlete [is] muchel gyue ðenne ðe heorte is ille. |
| a 1225 Juliana 70 Me ledde hire & hleac forð ant heo wes *eðluke. |
| a 1000 Cynewulf Crist 1235 Ðær biþ *eþᵹesyne þreo tacen. a 1200 Moral Ode 338 in O.E. Misc. 70 Þat is wel eþ-sene. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 381 Sutel is and eðsene..þæt tu were iset ȝung to leaf and to lare. a 1225 Ancr. R. 116 Wiðuten writunge, þe fulðe is to eð-cene. |
| c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 49 Nime we þe turtles bitocninge þat is *eðwinne. |
2. With final element
f. a
n.: see
edmod, -mede.