a. and adv. Obs. exc. Sc. Forms: 1–3 eað(e, eð(e, 1–4 eþ(e, 3–6 eth(e, 3 æþ, eið, eitht, ith, ieþe, yþe, 4–5 eyth, (4 eeþ, eeth, eȝathe), 6 eathe, 6– eath, Sc. eith. [OE. éaþe adv. = OS. ôðo easily, perhaps, OHG. ôdo perhaps (also in un-ôdo ‘with difficulty’):—OTeut. *auþô; the combining form éaþ- = ON. auð-, as in auð-gǫrr easy to do. Of the adj. the normal OE. form is íeþe, ýþe (also used as adv.) = OS. ôđi easy, OHG. ôdi easy, possible:—WGer. *auþjo-z; perh. the word was orig. an -u stem, which would account for the existence of the form éaþ(e without umlaut. The OE. compar. degree of the adv. was íeþ, éþ, but there is no distinct evidence of its survival into ME.
It has been disputed whether the present word is related to OHG. ôdi, MHG. ôde, œde, mod.G. öde, ON. auðr, Goth. auþs (? or auþeis, auþus), desert, uninhabited, empty. The sense offers no valid objection to the connection of the words, as the notion of ‘empty’ might give rise both to that of ‘desert’ and to that of ‘free from difficulties.’]
A. adj.
1. Of an action: Easy, not difficult.
c. 1200. Ormin, 19673. And Crist wass æþ to witenn þatt Forr Crist wat alle þingess.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 18385. Of eldrin men þai mette wit tuin, Þat þai war ald was eth [v.r. ith] to se.
c. 1340. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 676. To fynde hys fere vpon folde, in fayth is not eþe.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, XVII. 454. It wes nocht eyth till ta the toune.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., VI. xxi. In olde men abstinence of mete is eth and esy.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, Exclamatioun 28. Far eithar is … Ane othir sayaris faltis to spy and note, Than but offence or falt thame self to wryte.
c. 1579. Montgomerie, Navigation, 200. To the Porte of Leith: To come right in, we thoght it very eith.
1647. H. More, Cupid’s Conflict, xiii. And eath it was, since they’re so near a kin.
1748. Thomson, Cast. Indol., I. lxxiv. To stir him from his traunce it was not eath.
1821. Mrs. Wheeler, App. Cumbrld. Dial., 10. E’en yet its eith to trace A guilty conscience in my blushing feace.
1862. Hislop, Prov. Scotl., 55. Eith working when will’s at hame.
b. Of a passage, etc.: That may be travelled with ease, not rough.
Beowulf, 228 (Gr.). Wedera leode … ʓode þancedon Þæs þe him yþlade eaðe wurdon.
1579. Spenser, Sheph. Cal., July, 90. Hereto, the hilles bene nigher heauen, and thence the passage ethe.
1627. P. Fletcher, Locusts, I. ix. Hels yron gates … To every guilty soule yeelds entrance eath.
2. Of the object, means or method of an action: Making slight resistance; presenting few difficulties; = EASY. Const. inf., usually active in form but passive in sense.
a. 1225. Juliana, 57. Wenest tu þat we beon se eð to biwihelin?
a. 1240. Wohunge, in Cott. Hom., 279. Pouerte wið menske is eað for to þolien.
1297. R. Glouc. (1810), 327. He was symple & myldore, & eþ to ouercome.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, V. 849. He was ethe ynough to maken dwelle.
c. 1400. Rom. Rose, 3955. A foole is eyth to bigyle.
c. 1450. Henryson, Mor. Fab., 58. The Bairne is eith to buske that is vnborne.
1532. More, Confut. Tindale, Wks. 382/1. I woulde euery other thinge wer as ethe to mend as thys is. Ibid. (a. 1535), Wks., 83. For as saint Poule saith, ye fleshly sinnes be eth to perceiue.
1632. Sanderson, Serm., 323. A great mountaine is eath to be seene.
1691. Ray, N. C. Words, Coll. 23. It is eath to do, i. e. Easie.
1847–8. H. Miller, First Impr., xiv. (1857), 235. One of our old Scotch proverbs [says] … ‘God’s bairns … are eath to lear,’ i.e., easily instructed.
† b. Of a person: Easy to be entreated, gentle; in ME. with genit, eði modes gentle of mood. Also, Ready, susceptible; const. inf. Obs.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 2249. God hunne him eði-modes ben.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., IV. vi. 40. Her gentle hart … More eath was new impression to receive.
† 3. Comfortable, at ease, free from pain.
c. 1205. Lay., 2234. Eð him wes on heorten. Ibid., 8178. Þa wes his hurte æðe. Ibid., 1250. Þo was he þe eþere.
B. adv. Easily, without difficulty.
a. 1000. Boeth. Metr., ix. 54. He wel meahte Þæt unriht him eðe forbiodan.
a. 1000. Andreas, 425 (Gr.). God eaðe mæʓ heaðoliðendum helpe ʓefremman.
c. 1175. Cott. Hom., 219. He wolde and eaðe mihte bien his sceoppinde ȝelic.
a. 1200. Moral Ode, 284, in Cott. Hom., 177. Ieþe he muwen ben of-drad þe hine sculled bi-helde.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 62. Ablinde þe heorte, heo is eð ouercumen, & ibrouht sone mid sunne to grunde.
a. 1300. K. Horn, 61. So fele miȝten yþe Bringe hem þre to diþe.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 11219. Moght he not þan … Be born vte of a maiden eth At þe time o nine moneth?
c. 1315. Shoreham, 7. Wel eȝathe, God thorwe miracles ketheth hit A-lyve and eke a-dethe.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., 193. Oone worde myght thou speke ethe.
1538. Starkey, England, I. ii. § 6 (1871), 32. We may the … ether also avoyd thys ignorance.
1600. Fairfax, Tasso, X. xlii. 187. Who thinkes him most secure is eathest shamed.
a. 1774. Fergusson, Rising of Sess., Poems (1845), 28. Eith can the pleugh-stilts gar a chiel Be unco vogie Clean to lick aff his crowdie-meal.
1862. Hislop, Prov. Scotl., 54. Eith learned, soon forgotten.
C. Eath- in Comb.
1. Forming adjs. (which did not survive beyond 14th c.), the final element being f. the stem of a verb: eðbete [see BEET v.], easy to amend; eðfele [see FEEL v.], easily felt; eþgete [see GET v.], easily obtained; eðlete [see LET v.1, and cf. OE. earfoðlǽte emitted with difficulty], easily dismissed, lightly esteemed; eðluke [see LOUK v.], easily pulled; eðsene [see SENE a., SEE v.], easy to see; eþwinne [see WIN v.], easy to win.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 63. Þat we hauen agilt her biforen … buð *eðbete gif hie us sore rieweð.
c. 1225. Ancr. R., 194. Uorði þet heo beoð *eð fele.
c. 1000. Ælfric, on O. & N. Test., 32 (Bosw.). Him wæs *eaþgete ele to ðam baþe.
c. 1275. Sinners Beware, 19, in O. E. Misc., 74. Þy vs is eþ-gete Helle þat is unlede.
a. 1200. Moral Ode, 38, in E. E. Poems (1862), 24. *Eðlete [is] muchel gyue ðenne ðe heorte is ille.
a. 1225. Juliana, 70. Me ledde hire & hleac forð ant heo wes *eðluke.
a. 1000. Cynewulf, Crist, 1235. Ðær biþ *eþʓesyne þreo tacen.
a. 1200. Moral Ode, 338, in O. E. Misc., 70. Þat is wel eþ-sene.
a. 1225. Leg. Kath., 381. Sutel is and eðsene … þæt tu were iset ȝung to leaf and to lare.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 116. Wiðuten writunge, þe fulðe is to eð-cene.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 49. Nime we þe turtles bitocninge þat is *eðwinne.
