Earn, ėrn, v.t. to gain by labour: to acquire: to deserve.—n.pl. Earn′ings, what one has earned: money saved. [A.S. earnian, to earn; cog. with Old High Ger. aran, to reap; Ger. ernte, harvest.]
Earn, ėrn, v.i. to yearn. [A variant of yearn.]
Earnest, ėr′nest, adj. showing strong desire: determined: eager to obtain: intent: sincere: serious.—n. seriousness: reality.—adv. Ear′nestly.—n. Ear′nestness. [A.S. eornost, seriousness; Ger. ernst.]
Earnest, ėr′nest, n. money given in token of a bargain made—also Ear′nest-mon′ey, Ear′nest-penn′y: a pledge: first-fruits. [Ety. obscure; possibly conn. with arles.]
Earst, obsolete form of Erst.
Earth, ėrth, n. the name applied to the third planet in order from the sun: the matter on the surface of the globe: soil: dry land, as opposed to sea: the world: the inhabitants of the world: dirt: dead matter: the human body: a fox's hole: (pl.) the name applied by the alchemists and earlier chemists to certain substances now known to be oxides of metal, which were distinguished by being infusible, and by insolubility in water.—v.t. to hide or cause to hide in the earth: to bury.—v.i. to burrow: to hide.—ns. Earth′-bag, a sack of earth used in fortifications; Earth′-bath, a bath of earth or mud; Earth′-board, the board of a plough, or other implement, that turns over the earth.—adjs. Earth′-born, born from or on the earth; Earth′-bound, bound or held by the earth, as a tree; Earth′-bred, mean, grovelling.—n. Earth′-clos′et, a system consisting of the application of earth to the deodorisation of fæcal matters.—adjs. Earth′-creā′ted, made of earth; Earth′en, made of earth or clay: earthly.—ns. Earth′enware, crockery; Earth′-fall, a landslide.—adj. Earth′-fed, contented with earthly things.—ns. Earth′flax, asbestos; Earth′-hog (see Aardvark); Earth′-house, the name given to the ancient underground dwellings in Ireland and Scotland, also called Picts' houses; Earth′-hung′er, the passion for acquiring land; Earth′iness; Earth′liness; Earth′ling, a dweller on the earth.—adjs. Earth′ly, belonging to the earth: vile: worldly; Earth′ly-mind′ed, having the mind intent on earthly things.—ns. Earth′ly-mind′edness; Earth′-nut, the popular name of certain tuberous roots growing underground; Earth′-pea, the hog-peanut; Earth′-plate, a buried plate of metal forming the earth-connection of a telegraph-wire, lightning-conductor, &c.; Earth′quake, a quaking or shaking of the earth: a heaving of the ground; Earth′-shine, the faint light visible on the part of the moon not illuminated by the sun; Earth′-trem′or, a slight earthquake.—adv. Earth′ward, toward the earth.—ns. Earth′work, a fortification of earth; Earth′-worm, the common worm: a mean person, a poor creature.—adj. Earth′y, consisting of, relating to, or resembling earth: inhabiting the earth: gross: unrefined. [A.S. eorthe; cf. Dut. aarde, Ger. erde.]
Ease, ēz, 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-gō′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, ēz′l, n. the frame on which painters support their pictures while painting. [Dut. ezel, or Ger. esel, an ass.]
Easle, ēs′l, n. (Burns) hot ashes. [A.S. ysle; cf. Ice. usli.]
Eassel, a Scotch form for eastward, easterly.