1. [n]  freedom from activity (work or strain or responsibility); "took his repose by the swimming pool"
2. [n]  freedom from difficulty or hardship or effort; "he rose through the ranks with apparent ease"; "they put it into containers for ease of transportation"
3. [n]  freedom from constraint or embarrassment; "I am never at ease with strangers"
4. [n]  the condition of being comfortable or relieved (especially after being relieved of distress); "he enjoyed his relief from responsibility"; "getting it off his conscience gave him some ease"
5. [n]  a freedom from financial difficulty that promotes a comfortable state; "a life of luxury and ease"; "he had all the material comforts of this world"
6. [v]  ease physically
7. [v]  make easier; "you could facilitate the process by sharing your knowledge"
8. [v]  lessen the intensity of; calm; as of anxieties and fears
9. [v]  move gently or carefully; "He eased himself into the chair"

1. \Ease\, 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:
      (a) 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.
      (b) 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.
      (c) 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; tranquility;
        facility; easiness; readiness.
   

2. \Ease\, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. {Eased}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Easing}.] [OE. esen, eisen, OF. aisier. See {Ease}, n.]
   1. To free from anything that pains, disquiets, or oppresses;
      to relieve from toil or care; to give rest, repose, or
      tranquility to; -- often with of; as, to ease of pain;
      ease the body or mind.
            Eased [from] the putting off These troublesome
            disguises which we wear.              --Milton.
            Sing, and I 'll ease thy shoulders of thy load.
                                                  --Dryden.
   2. To render less painful or oppressive; to mitigate; to
      alleviate.
            My couch shall ease my complaint.     --Job vii. 13.
   3. To release from pressure or restraint; to move gently; to
      lift slightly; to shift a little; as, to ease a bar or nut
      in machinery.
   4. To entertain; to furnish with accommodations. [Obs.]
      --Chaucer.
   {To ease off}, {To ease away} (Naut.), to slacken a rope
      gradually.
   {To ease a ship} (Naut.), to put the helm hard, or regulate
      the sail, to prevent pitching when closehauled.
   {To ease the helm} (Naut.), to put the helm more nearly
      amidships, to lessen the effect on the ship, or the strain
      on the wheel rope. --Ham. Nav. Encyc.
   Syn: To relieve; disburden; quiet; calm; tranquilize;
        assuage; alleviate; allay; mitigate; appease; pacify.
   

General purpose parallel programming language, combining the process constructs of CSP and the distributed data structures of Linda. "Programming with Ease: Semiotic Definition of the Language", S.E. Zenith, <[email protected]> Yale U TR-809, Jul 1990.