- easy
- c.1200, "at ease," from O.Fr. aisie, pp. of aisier "to put at ease," from aise (see ease). Sense of "not difficult to deal with" is mid-14c.; of conditions, "comfortable," late 14c. The concept of "not difficult" was expressed in O.E. and early M.E. by eaže (adv.), ieže (adj.), apparently common W.Gmc., but of disputed origin. Easy Street first printed 1901 in "Peck's Red-Headed Boy." Easy rider (1912) was U.S. black slang for "sexually satisfying lover." The easy listening radio format is from 1965, defined by William Safire (in 1986) as, "the music of the 60's played in the 80's with the style of the 40's." Related: Easier; easiest.