Etymologically
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easy

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 19:51. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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
  • 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