Added 6 October 2026
ease
/iːz/ noun
In Latin: habilitas Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about ease at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Lack of difficulty; the ability to do something easily.
He played the ukelele with ease.
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Comfort, a state or quality lacking unpleasantness, particularly:
She enjoyed the ease of living in a house where the servants did all the work.
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Freedom from pain, hardship, and annoyance, sometimes idleness, sloth.
She enjoyed the ease of living in a house where the servants did all the work.
verb
Origin
From Middle English ese, eise, aise, from Anglo-Norman ese (“ease”), from Old French eise, aise (“elbow room; opportunity”), of uncertain and obscure origin. Apparently related to Provençal ais, Italian agio and asio, Sicilian aciu and Portuguese azo. Sometimes ascribed to Vulgar Latin *āsia or *āsium, possibly from Latin ānsa (“handle, haft”) or Frankish *ansiju (“handle, loophole, eyelet; cup-handle; arms akimbo, elbow room”), but more often derived from Vulgar Latin *adjace(m), from Latin adjacēns (“adjacent, neighbouring”), present participle of adjaceō (“lie next to, border on”), though the forms and senses are difficult to trace clearly.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)