easy

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈiː.zi/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English aisie (later esi), borrowed from Old French aisié (“comfortable, at ease; well-off”),^[2][3][4] the past participle of aisier (“to put at ease”), from aise (“ease”),^[2][3][5] the source of ease.^[2][6] The American Heritage Dictionary and Merriam-Webster also cite the form aaisié, with the prefix a-, from Latin ad-.^[7][8] The Word Origins dictionary traces ease to Latin adjacēns (“lying close by”), the source of adjacent.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Able, having the opportunity: probably before 1200.^[3] Etymonline gives about 1200 for “at ease, free from discomfort and anxiety”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The sense “not difficult” appears about 1280,^[3] or in the late 13th century,^[2] perhaps influenced by the noun ease.^[3] Old English and early Middle English expressed this idea with ēaþe and īeþe.^[2] Of conditions, “comfortable, pleasant”, is early 14th century, and of people, “lenient, calm”, late 14th century.^[2] “Easily persuaded” is from the 1610s.^[2] The spelling easy appeared in the first half of the 15th century but was established only in the late 17th.^[3] Easily is from about 1290,^[3] easygoing from 1674 and easy chair from 1707.^[3] Be easy is from 1746 and take it easy from 1804, easy does it from 1835, easy money from 1889 and Easy Street from 1890.^[2] Easy-peasy is from the 1950s.^[9]

Timeline

• before 1200 – able (aisie).^[3]
• c. 1280 – not difficult.^[3]
• c. 1290 – easily.^[3]
• late 14th century – of people, lenient.^[2]
• 1610s – easily persuaded.^[2]
• 1674 – easygoing.^[3]
• 1804 – take it easy.^[2]
• 1890 – Easy Street.^[2]
• 1950s – easy-peasy.^[9]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Not difficult; needing little effort.
2. Undemanding: an easy boss.
3. Free from worry, pain or trouble.
4. Giving comfort; comfortable; well-off: in easy circumstances.
5. Relaxed in manner; at ease socially.
6. Readily persuaded or influenced.

Adverb

1. Without haste or strain: take it easy.
2. With little effort; easily.
3. In a moderate way: go easy on the salt.

Word family

• easiness
• easylike
• easygoing
• overeasy
• easily
• uneasily
• easy chair
• easy listening

Related words

• ease
• adjacent
• uneasy

Usage notes

The American Heritage Dictionary groups easy with simple, facile, effortless, smooth and light, all meaning requiring little effort.^[10] It notes that easy applies both to tasks and to people who are not demanding.^[10]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
6. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
8. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
9. ^ a b c Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin