Where does “easy street” come from?
easy street (English) comes from English easy, from Middle English esy, from English ease, from Middle English ese, from Old French aise, from Latin adiacēns, from Latin adiaceo, from Latin ad- — in.
easy street (English): Chiefly preceded by on: a carefree lifestyle, especially as a result of becoming wealthy, or an easy situation
Definitions
- Chiefly preceded by on: a carefree lifestyle, especially as a result of becoming wealthy, or an easy situation
Ancestry of “easy street”, step by step
easy street traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English easy
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | easy | Comfortable; at ease; Requiring little skill or... |
| 2 | Middle English | esy | Comfortable, pleasant; Convenient, suitable, fit;... |
| 3 | English | ease | Ability, the means to do something, particularly;... |
| 4 | Middle English | ese | Alternative form of eise; Physical comfort, or... |
| 5 | Old French | aise | Alternative form of eise; empty space, elbow... |
| 6 | Latin | adiacēns | adjacent, adjoining, neighbouring |
| 7 | Latin | adiaceo | I lie beside, at, near or next to; am adjacent... |
| 8 | Latin | ad- | to; usually prefixed to verbs, in which cases it... |
| 9 | Latin | īn- | un-, non-, not |
| 10 | Latin | în | in, at, on, upon, from (space) |
| 11 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 12 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |
via English street
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | street | A paved part of road, usually in a village or a... |
| 2 | Middle English | strete | A road or path connecting two settlements or... |
| 3 | Old English | strǣt | road; a road, a town-road, a street, a paved... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | strātu | street, paved road |
| 5 | Latin | strāta | a paved road |
| 6 | Latin | strātus | — |
| 7 | Latin | sternō | to spread, stretch out, spread out |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | stornō | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | str̥-n-h₃- | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | sterh₃- | to spread, extend, stretch out |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ster- | sterile, infertile |