What is "at ease"

Ease \Ease\ ([=e]z), n. [OE. ese, eise, F. aise; akin to Pr. ais, aise, OIt. asio, It. agio; of uncertain origin; cf. L. ansa handle, occasion, opportunity. Cf. Agio, Disease.]

1. Satisfaction; pleasure; hence, accommodation; entertainment. [Obs.]

   They him besought Of harbor and or ease as for hire penny.
   --Chaucer.

2. Freedom from anything that pains or troubles; as:

   1. Relief from labor or effort; rest; quiet; relaxation; as, ease of body.

      Usefulness comes by labor, wit by ease.
      --Herbert.

      Give yourself ease from the fatigue of watching.
      --Swift.

   2. Freedom from care, solicitude, or anything that annoys or disquiets; tranquillity; peace; comfort; security; as, ease of mind.

      Among these nations shalt thou find no ease.
      --Deut. xxviii. 65.

      Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
      --Luke xii. 19.

   3. Freedom from constraint, formality, difficulty, embarrassment, etc.; facility; liberty; naturalness; -- said of manner, style, etc.; as, ease of style, of behavior, of address.

      True ease in writing comes from art, not chance.
      --Pope.

      Whate'er he did was done with so much ease, In him alone 't was natural to please.
      --Dryden.

      At ease, free from pain, trouble, or anxiety. ``His soul shall dwell at ease.''
      --Ps. xxv. 12.

      Chapel of ease. See under Chapel.

      Ill at ease, not at ease, disquieted; suffering; anxious.

      To stand at ease (Mil.), to stand in a comfortable attitude in one's place in the ranks.

      With ease, easily; without much effort.

      Syn: Rest; quiet; repose; comfortableness; tranquillity; facility; easiness; readiness.

prep.phr. 1 Free of anxiety; not stressed or tense. 2 (context military marching English) in a relaxed position with the feet apart rather than at attention 3 (context military marching English) Allowed to refrain from being in rigid formation.

1. adj. without strain or anxiety; "gave the impression of being quite relaxed"; "a relaxed and informal discussion" [syn: relaxed] [ant: tense]

2. free from worry or anxiety; "knowing that I had done my best, my mind was easy"; "an easy good-natured manner"; "by the time the child faced the actual problem of reading she was familiar and at ease with all the elements words" [syn: easy] [ant: uneasy]

3. socially at ease; "was at ease with strangers" [syn: at ease(p)]

4. adv. in a relaxed position, of soldiers; "the soldiers were standing at ease" [syn: at rest]

At Ease was an alternative to the Macintosh desktop developed by Apple Computer in the early 1990s. It provided a simple environment for new Macintosh users and young children to help them to work without supervision. At Ease sits on top of the Finder desktop, providing a simple tabbed panel-oriented graphical user interface in which applications and documents are represented by icons on large buttons. Aside from its security features, its interface and basic functionality is very similar to the Packard Bell Navigator.

At Ease is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from March to June 1983. The series features an ensemble cast led by Jimmie Walker.