ease

ease
I. noun Etymology: Middle English ese, from Anglo-French eise, aise convenience, comfort, ultimately from Latin adjacent-, adjacens neighboring — more at adjacent Date: 13th century 1. the state of being comfortable: as a. freedom from pain or discomfort b. freedom from care c. freedom from labor or difficulty d. freedom from embarrassment or constraint ; naturalness <
known for his charm and ease of manner
>
e. an easy fit 2. relief from discomfort or obligation 3. facility, effortlessness <
did it with ease
>
4. an act of easing or a state of being eased • easeful adjectiveeasefully adverb II. verb (eased; easing) Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. to free from something that pains, disquiets, or burdens <
trying to ease her of her worries
>
2. to make less painful ; alleviate <
ease his suffering
>
3. a. to lessen the pressure or tension of especially by slackening, lifting, or shifting <
ease a spring
>
b. to maneuver gently or carefully <
eased himself into the chair
>
c. to moderate or reduce especially in amount or intensity <
ease a flow
>
4. to make less difficult <
ease credit
>
5. a. to put the helm of (a ship) alee b. to let (a helm or rudder) come back a little after having been put hard over intransitive verb 1. to give freedom or relief 2. to move or pass slowly or easily — often used with a directional word (as over or up) <
the limo eased up in front of the house
>
3. a. to become less intense, vigorous, or engaged ; become moderate — usually used with up or off <
told her staff to ease up a little
>
<
expected the storm to ease off
>
<
ease up on fatty foods
>
b. to apply less pressure — usually used with up or off <
ease up on the accelerator
>
c. to act in a less harsh manner — usually used with up or off <
decided to ease off on enforcement
>

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • Ease — ([=e]z), n. [OE. ese, eise, F. aise; akin to Pr. ais, aise, OIt. asio, It. agio; of uncertain origin; cf. L. ansa handle, occasion, opportunity. Cf. {Agio}, {Disease}.] 1. Satisfaction; pleasure; hence, accommodation; entertainment. [Obs.] [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ease — [iːz] verb 1. [intransitive, transitive] if limits, rules, restrictions etc are eased, or someone eases them, they become less strict: • India is easing rules for joint ventures with foreign concerns. 2. [intransitive, transitive] if interest… …   Financial and business terms

  • Ease — ([=e]z), v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. {Eased} ([=e]zd); p. pr. & vb. n. {Easing}.] [OE. esen, eisen, OF. aisier. See {Ease}, n.] 1. To free from anything that pains, disquiets, or oppresses; to relieve from toil or care; to give rest, repose, or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Ease — may refer to:*Ease (programming language) *Ease (novel), by Patrick Gale *EASE/ACCESS, an experiment which flew on the Space Shuttle in 1985 *Methylone, a substitute for the drug ecstacy, marketed briefly in New Zealand under the brand name… …   Wikipedia

  • Ease — 0.4 unter Ubuntu 10.10 Basisdaten Entwickler Nate Stedman, Stéphane Maniaci A …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • ease — [ēz] n. [ME ese < OFr aise < VL * adjaces < L adjacens, lying nearby, hence easy to reach: see ADJACENT] 1. freedom from pain, worry, or trouble; comfort 2. freedom from stiffness, formality, or awkwardness; natural, easy manner; poise 3 …   English World dictionary

  • ease up on — [phrasal verb] 1 a ease up on (someone) : to treat (someone) in a less harsh or demanding way The students might respond better if the teacher eased up on them a little. 1 b ease up on (something) : to apply less pressure to ( …   Useful english dictionary

  • ease — [n1] peace, quiet; lack of difficulty affluence, ataraxia, bed of roses*, calm, calmness, comfort, content, contentment, easiness, enjoyment, gratification, happiness, idleness, inactivity, inertia, inertness, leisure, luxury, passivity, peace of …   New thesaurus

  • ease — ► NOUN 1) absence of difficulty or effort. 2) freedom from worries or problems. ► VERB 1) make or become less serious or severe. 2) move carefully or gradually. 3) (ease off/up) do something with more moderation …   English terms dictionary

  • Ease Up — is an EP by Mike Paradinas released in 2005 under his main moniker, µ ziq . Track listing # Ease Up 7.00 # Wergle the Proud 4.01 # Ease Up V.I.P. 12.28 …   Wikipedia

  • ease\ up — • ease off • ease up v To make or become less nervous; relax; work easier. When the boss realized that John had been overworking, he eased off his load. With success and prosperity, Mr. Smith was able to ease off. Compare: let up(3) …   Словарь американских идиом

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