world: It's a beautiful part of the world.
3
soiclass="underline" We have the most fertile soil in Europe.
mud: Their lorry got stuck in the mud.
dirt: They all sit on the dirt in the dappled shade of a tree.
earth|bound /ɜː r θbaʊnd/ ADJ If something is earthbound , it is unable to fly, or is on the ground rather than in the air or in space. □ …earthbound telescopes.
earth|en /ɜː r ð ə n/
1 ADJ [ADJ n] Earthen containers and objects are made of clay that is baked so that it becomes hard.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] An earthen floor, bank, or mound is made of hard earth.
earthen|ware /ɜː r ð ə nweə r /
1 ADJ [ADJ n] Earthenware bowls, pots, or other objects are made of clay that is baked so that it becomes hard. □ …earthenware pots.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Earthenware objects are referred to as earthenware . □ …colourful Italian china and earthenware.
earth|ling /ɜː r θl I ŋ/ (earthlings ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Earthling is used in science fiction to refer to human beings who live on the planet Earth.
earth|ly /ɜː r θli/
1 ADJ [ADJ n] Earthly means happening in the material world of our life on Earth and not in any spiritual life or life after death. □ …the need to confront evil during the earthly life.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Earthly is used for emphasis in phrases such as no earthly reason . If you say that there is no earthly reason why something should happen, you are emphasizing that there is no reason at all why it should happen. [EMPHASIS ] □ There is no earthly reason why they should ever change.
ea rth-moving also earthmoving ADJ [ADJ n] Earth-moving equipment is machinery that is used for digging and moving large amounts of soil. □ The earth-moving trucks and cement mixers lay idle.
earth|quake /ɜː r θkwe I k/ (earthquakes ) N‑COUNT An earthquake is a shaking of the ground caused by movement of the Earth's crust.
ea rth-shattering ADJ Something that is earth-shattering is very surprising or shocking. □ …earth-shattering news.
earth|work /ɜː r θwɜː r k/ (earthworks ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Earthworks are large structures of earth that have been built for defence, especially ones which were built a very long time ago.
earth|worm /ɜː r θwɜː r m/ (earthworms ) N‑COUNT An earthworm is a kind of worm which lives in the ground.
earthy /ɜː r θi/ (earthier , earthiest )
1 ADJ If you describe someone as earthy , you mean that they are open and direct, and talk about subjects which other people avoid or feel ashamed about. [APPROVAL ] □ …his extremely earthy humour. ● earthi|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ He loved Gerard's peasant earthiness.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe something as earthy , you mean it looks, smells, or feels like earth. □ I'm attracted to warm, earthy colours.
ear|wig / I ə r w I g/ (earwigs ) N‑COUNT An earwig is a small, thin, brown insect that has a pair of claws at the back end of its body. WORD HISTORY earwig
Earwig comes from Old English earwicga , meaning 'ear insect'. It was once believed that earwigs would creep into people's ears.
ease ◆◇◇ /iː z/ (eases , easing , eased )
1 PHRASE If you do something with ease , you do it easily, without difficulty or effort. □ …the ease with which young people could find work.
2 N‑UNCOUNT If you talk about the ease of a particular activity, you are referring to the way that it has been made easier to do, or to the fact that it is already easy to do. □ [+ of ] For ease of reference, only the relevant extracts of the regulations are included.
3 N‑UNCOUNT Ease is the state of being very comfortable and able to live as you want, without any worries or problems. □ She lived a life of ease.
4 VERB If something unpleasant eases or if you ease it, it is reduced in degree, speed, or intensity. □ [V ] Tensions had eased. □ [V n] I gave him some brandy to ease the pain. □ [V -ing] …editorials calling for the easing of sanctions.
5 VERB If you ease your way somewhere or ease somewhere, you move there slowly, carefully, and gently. If you ease something somewhere, you move it there slowly, carefully, and gently. □ [V n prep/adv] I eased my way towards the door. □ [V prep/adv] She eased back into the chair and nodded. □ [V n prep/adv] He eased his foot off the accelerator. □ [V pron-refl adv/prep] Leaphorn eased himself silently upward. □ [V n with adj] I eased open the door.
6 PHRASE If you are at ease , you are feeling confident and relaxed, and are able to talk to people without feeling nervous or anxious. If you put someone at their ease , you make them feel at ease. □ It is essential to feel at ease with your therapist. □ Both men were unwelcoming, making little attempt to put Kathryn or her companions at their ease.
7 PHRASE If you are ill at ease , you feel rather uncomfortable, anxious, or worried. □ [+ with ] He appeared embarrassed and ill at ease with the sustained applause that greeted him.
▸ ease off PHRASAL VERB If something eases off , or a person or thing eases it off , it is reduced in degree, speed, or intensity. □ [V P ] These days, the pressure has eased off. □ [V P n] Kelly eased off his pace as they reached the elevator. [Also V n P ]