EASE, [=e]z, n. freedom from pain or disturbance: rest from work: quiet: freedom from difficulty: naturalness.--v.t. to free from pain, trouble, or anxiety: to relieve: to calm.--adj. EASE'FUL, ease-giving: quiet, fit for rest.--n. EASE'MENT, relief: assistance: support: gratification.--adv. EAS'ILY.--n. EAS'INESS.--adj. EAS'Y, at ease: free from pain: tranquil: unconstrained: giving ease: not difficult: yielding: not straitened (in circumstances): not tight: not strict, as in 'easy virtue.'--interj. EASY! a command to lower, or to go gently, to stop rowing, &c.--n. EAS'Y-CHAIR, an arm-chair for ease or rest.--adj. EAS'Y-G[=O]'ING, good-natured: indolent.--EASE ONE'S SELF, to relieve nature.--CHAPEL OF EASE (see CHAPEL); FREE AND EASY (see FREE).--HONOURS EASY, when the honours are evenly divided at whist: ILL AT EASE, uncomfortable; STAND AT EASE, used of soldiers, when freed from 'attention;' TAKE IT EASY, to be quite unconcerned: to be in no hurry; TAKE ONE'S EASE, to make one's self comfortable. [O. Fr. aise; cog. with It. agio; Prov. ais, Port. azo.]

EASEL, [=e]z'l, n. the frame on which painters support their pictures while painting. [Dut. ezel, or Ger. esel, an ass.]

EASLE, [=e]s'l, n. (Burns) hot ashes. [A.S. ysle; cf. Ice. usli.]

EASSEL, a Scotch form for eastward, easterly.

EAST, [=e]st, n. that part of the heavens where the sun first shines or rises: one of the four cardinal points of the compass.--adj. toward the rising of the sun.--ns. EAST'-END, the eastern part of London, the habitation of the poorer classes; EAST'-END'ER.--adjs. EAST'ER, EAST'ERN, toward the east: connected with the east: dwelling in the east.--n. EAST'ERLING, a native of the East: a trader from the shores of the Baltic.--adj. EAST'ERLY, coming from the eastward: looking toward the east.--adv. on the east: toward the east.--adjs. EAST'ERNMOST, EAST'MOST, situated farthest east.--ns. EAST'-IN'DIAMAN, a vessel used in the East India trade; EAST'ING, the course gained to the eastward: distance eastward from a given meridian; EAST'LAND, the land in the East.--adv. EAST'WARD, toward the east.--EAST-BY-SOUTH (NORTH), 11¼ degrees from due east; EAST-SOUTH (NORTH)-EAST, 22½ degrees from due east.--EASTWARD POSITION, the position of the celebrant at the Eucharist, when he stands in front of the altar and facing it, instead of the usual practice of standing at the north end of the altar, facing southward.--ABOUT EAST (slang), in proper manner; THE EAST, the countries to the east of Europe; TURNING TO THE EAST, a practice for both clergy and laity during service, esp. while singing the creeds, the Gloria Patri, and the Gloria in Excelsis. [A.S. east; Ger. ost; akin to Gr. [=e][=o]s, the dawn.]

EASTER, [=e]st'[.e]r, n. a Christian festival commemorating the resurrection of Christ, held on the Sunday after Good-Friday.--n. EAST'ER-DAY, Easter Sunday.--ns.pl. EAST'ER-DUES, -OFF'ERINGS, 'customary sums' which from time immemorial have been paid to the parson by his people at Easter.--ns. EAST'ER-EGG, eggs stained of various colours, given as presents on Easter; EAST'ERTIDE, Eastertime, either Easter week or the fifty days between Easter and Whitsuntide. [A.S. éastre; Ger. ostern. Bede derives the word from Eastre, a goddess whose festival was held at the spring equinox.]

EAT, [=e]t, v.t. to chew and swallow: to consume: to corrode.--v.i. to take food:--pr.p. eat'ing; pa.t. ate ([=a]t or et); pa.p. eaten ([=e]tn) or (obs.) eat (et).--adj. EAT'ABLE, fit to be eaten.--n. anything used as food (chiefly pl.).--ns. EAT'AGE, grass or fodder for horses, &c.: the right to eat; EAT'ER, one who, or that which, eats or corrodes; EAT'ING, the act of taking food.--p.adj. that eats: corroding.--ns. EAT'ING-HOUSE, a place where provisions are sold ready dressed: a restaurant; GOOD'-EAT'ING, something good for food.--EAT AWAY, to destroy gradually: to gnaw; EAT IN, used of the action of acid; EAT ITS HEAD OFF, used of an animal which costs as much for food as it is worth; EAT ONE'S HEART, to pine away, brooding over misfortune; EAT ONE'S TERMS, to study for the bar, with allusion to the number of times in a term that a student must dine in the hall of an Inn of Court; EAT ONE'S WORDS, to retract: to recant; EAT OUT, to finish eatables: to encroach upon; EAT THE AIR (Shak.) to be deluded with hopes; EAT UP, to devour: to consume, absorb; EAT WELL, to have a good appetite. [A.S. etan; cf. Ger. essen, Ice. eta, L. ed[)e]re, Gr. edein.]

EATH, [=e]th, adj. (obs.) easy.--adv. EATH'LY. [A.S. éathe, easily; cf. Old High Ger. odi, easy.]

EAU, [=o], n. the French word for water, used in English in various combinations.--EAU CRÉOLE, a fine Martinique liqueur, made by distilling the flowers of the mammee-apple with spirit of wine; EAU DE COLOGNE (see under COLOGNE-EARTH); EAU DE VIE, brandy.

EAVES, [=e]vz, n.pl. the projecting edge of the roof: anything projecting.--ns. EAVES'DRIP, EAVES'DROP, the water which falls from the eaves of a house: the place where the drops fall.--v.i. and v.t. EAVES'DROP, to stand under the eaves or near the windows of a house to listen: to listen for secrets.--ns. EAVES'DROPPER, one who thus listens: one who tries to overhear private conversation; EAVES'DROPPING. [A.S. efes, the clipped edge of thatch; cf. Ice. ups.]

EBB, eb, n. the going back or retiring of the tide: a decline or decay.--v.i. to flow back: to sink: to decay.--n. EBB'-TIDE, the ebbing or retiring tide. [A.S. ebba; Ger. ebbe; cog. with even.]

EBENEZER, eb-en-[=e]z'er, n. a memorial stone set up by Samuel after the victory of Mizpeh (1 Sam. vii. 12): a name sometimes applied to a chapel or meeting-house. [Heb., 'stone of help.']

EBIONITE, [=e]'bi-on-[=i]t, n. a name applied to Jewish Christians who remained outside the Catholic Church down to the time of Jerome. They held the Mosaic laws binding on Christians, and denied the apostolate of Paul and the miraculous birth of Jesus.--v.t. E'BIONISE.--adj. EBIONIT'IC.--ns. EBION[=I]T'ISM, E'BIONISM. [Heb. eby[=o]n, poor.]

EBLIS, eb'lis, n. the chief of the fallen angels or wicked jinns in Mohammedan mythology.--Also IB'LEES.

EBON, eb'on, EBONY, eb'on-i, n. a kind of wood almost as heavy and hard as stone, usually black, admitting of a fine polish.--adj. made of ebony: black as ebony.--v.t. EB'ONISE, to make furniture look like ebony.--ns. EB'ONIST, a worker in ebony; EB'ONITE, vulcanite (see under VULCAN). [L.,--Gr. ebenos; cf. Heb. hodn[=i]m, pl. of hobni, obni--eben, a stone.]

ÉBOULEMENT, [=a]-bool'mong, n. the falling in of the wall of a fortification: a landslide or landslip. [Fr.]

EBRACTEATE, -D, e-brak't[=e]-[=a]t, -ed, adj. (bot.) without bracts.

EBRIATED, [=e]'bri-[=a]t-ed, adj. intoxicated.--n. EBR[=I]'ETY, drunkenness.--adj. E'BRI[=O]SE, drunk.--n. EBRIOS'ITY. [L. ebri[=a]re, -[=a]tum, to make drunk.]

ÉBRILLADE, [=a]-br[=e]-lyad', n. the sudden jerking of a horse's rein when he refuses to turn. [Fr.]

EBULLIENT, e-bul'yent, adj. boiling up or over: agitated: enthusiastic.--ns. EBULL'IENCE, EBULL'IENCY, a boiling over; EBULLI'TION, act of boiling: agitation: an outbreak. [L. ebullient-em, ebull[=i]re--e, out, and bull[=i]re, to boil.]

EBURNINE, eb-ur'nin, adj. of or like ivory--also EBUR'NEAN.--ns. EBURN[=A]'TION, a morbid change of bone by which it becomes very hard and dense; EBURNIFIC[=A]'TION, art of making like ivory. [L. ebur.]

ÉCARTÉ, [=a]-kär't[=a], n. a game for two, played with the thirty-two highest cards, one feature being the right to discard or throw out certain cards for others. [Fr.,--e, out, carte, a card.]

ECAUDATE, [=e]-kaw'd[=a]t, adj. tailless.

ECBASIS, ek'ba-sis, n. (rhet.) a figure in which the speaker treats of things according to their consequences.--adj. ECBAT'IC, denoting a mere result, not an intention. [Gr.]

ECBLASTESIS, ek-blas-t[=e]'sis, n. (bot.) the production of buds within flowers.

ECBOLE, ek'bo-l[=e], n. (rhet.) a digression: (mus.) the raising or sharping of a tone.--adj. ECBOL'IC, promoting parturition.--n. a drug with this quality. [Gr.]

ECCALEOBION, ek-kal-e-[=o]'bi-on, n. a machine for the artificial hatching of eggs. [Gr., 'I call out life.']

ECCE, ek'si, Latin word for 'behold.'--ECCE HOMO, behold the man (John, xix. 5)--in art, a Christ crowned with thorns.

ECCENTRIC, -AL, ek-sen'trik, -al, adj. departing from the centre: not having the same centre as another, said of circles: out of the usual course: not conforming to common rules: odd.--n. ECCEN'TRIC, a circle not having the same centre as another: (mech.) a contrivance for taking an alternating rectilinear motion from a revolving shaft: an eccentric fellow.--adv. ECCEN'TRICALLY.--n. ECCENTRIC'ITY, the distance of the centre of a planet's orbit from the centre of the sun: singularity of conduct: oddness. [Fr.,--Low L. eccentricus--Gr. ek, out of, kentron, centre.]

ECCHYMOSIS, ek-ki-m[=o]'sis, n. a discoloration of the surface produced by blood effused below or in the texture of the skin.--adjs. EC'CHYMOSED, ECCHYMOT'IC. [Gr.,--ek, out of, and chymos, juice.]

ECCLESIA, e-kl[=e]'zi-a, n. a popular assembly, esp. of Athens, where the people exercised full sovereignty, and all above twenty years could vote: applied by the Septuagint commentators to the Jewish commonwealth, and from them to the Christian Church.--adj. ECCL[=E]'SIAL.--ns. ECCL[=E]'SIARCH, a ruler of the church; ECCL[=E]'SIAST, the preacher--Solomon formerly considered as the author of Ecclesiastes: an ecclesiastic; ECCL[=E]'SIASTES, one of the books of the Old Testament, traditionally ascribed to Solomon; ECCLESIAS'TIC, one consecrated to the church, a priest, a clergyman.--adjs. ECCL[=E]'SIASTIC, -AL, belonging to the church.--adv. ECCLESIAS'TICALLY, in an ecclesiastical manner.--ns. ECCLESIAS'TICISM, attachment to ecclesiastical observances, &c.: the churchman's temper or spirit; ECCLESIAS'TICUS, name of a book of the Apocrypha; ECCLESIOL'ATRY, excessive reverence for church forms and traditions.--adj. ECCLESIOLOG'ICAL.--ns. ECCLESIOL'OGIST, a student of church forms and traditions; ECCLESIOL'OGY, the science of building and decorating churches: the science relating to the church. [Low L.,--Gr. ekklesia, an assembly called out of the world, the church--ek, out, and kalein, to call.]