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Webster 1913 Edition

Ease

Ease

(ēz)
,
Noun.
[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.]
They him besought
Of harbor and or
ease
as for hire penny.
Chaucer.
2.
Freedom from anything that pains or troubles; as:
(a)
Relief from labor or effort; rest; quiet; relaxation;
as,
ease
of body
.
Usefulness comes by labor, wit by
ease
.
Herbert.
(b)
Freedom from care, solicitude, or anything that annoys or disquiets; tranquillity; peace; comfort; security; as, ease of mind.
Among these nations shalt thou find no
ease
.
Deut. xxviii. 65.
(c)
Freedom from constraint, formality, difficulty, embarrassment, etc.; facility; liberty; naturalness; – said of manner, style, etc.;
as,
ease
of style, of behavior, of address
.
True
ease
in writing comes from art, not chance.
Pope.
Whate’er he did was done with so much
ease
,
In him alone 't was natural to please.
Dryden.
Syn. – Rest; quiet; repose; comfortableness; tranquillity; facility; easiness; readiness.

Ease

(ēz)
,
Verb.
T.
&
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Eased
(ēzd)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Easing
.]
[OE.
esen
,
eisen
, OF.
aisier
. See
Ease
,
Noun.
]
1.
To free from anything that pains, disquiets, or oppresses; to relieve from toil or care; to give rest, repose, or tranquillity to; – often with of;
as, to
ease
of pain; to
ease
the body or mind.
Eased
[from] the putting off
These troublesome disguises which we wear.
Milton.
Sing, and I 'll
ease
thy shoulders of thy load.
Dryden.
2.
To render less painful or oppressive; to mitigate; to alleviate.
My couch shall
ease
my complaint.
Job vii. 13.
3.
To release from pressure or restraint; to move gently; to lift slightly; to shift a little;
as, to
ease
a bar or nut in machinery
.
4.
To entertain; to furnish with accommodations.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.
Syn. – To relieve; disburden; quiet; calm; tranquilize; assuage; alleviate; allay; mitigate; appease; pacify.

Webster 1828 Edition

Ease

EASE

,
Noun.
s as z. [L. otium.]
1.
Rest; an undisturbed state. Applied to the body, freedom from pain, disturbance, excitement or annoyance. He sits at his ease. He takes his ease.
2.
Applied to the mind, a quiet state; tranquillity; freedom from pain, concern, anxiety, solicitude, or any thing that frets or ruffles the mind.
His soul shall dwell at ease. Ps.25.
Wo to them that are at ease in Zion. Amos.6.
3.
Rest from labor.
4.
Facility; freedom from difficulty or great labor. One man will perform this service with ease. This author writes with ease.
5.
Freedom from stiffness, harshness, forced expressions, or unnatural arrangement; as the ease of style.
6.
Freedom from constraint or formality; unaffectedness; as ease of behavior.
At ease, in an undisturbed state; free from pain or anxiety.

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