noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈiːzm(ə)nt/
General-American:/ˈizmənt/
Australia:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:IY1 Z M AH0 N T
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
An interest in land which grants the legal right to use another person's real property (real estate), generally in order to cross a part of the property or to gain access to something on the property (right of way).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: law, property
Examples
The power company has an easement to put their electricity poles along the edge of this land.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
An element such as a baseboard, handrail, etc., that is curved instead of abruptly changing direction.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: architecture
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Easing; relief; assistance; support.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
The act of relieving oneself: defecating or urinating.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
(law) the privilege of using something that is not your own (as using another's land as a right of way to your own land)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: prerogative, privilege, perquisite, exclusive right
Narrower terms: public easement, right of way
History
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman aisement, easement, eisement, esament, esement, and Middle French aisement (“comfort, convenience, ease, facility, opportunity; a benefit, relief; a right to use land, a thing, etc.; a privy”), from aisier (“to put at ease; to facilitate”) + -ment (“-ment, suffix forming nouns, usually the action or state resulting from verbs”).
Across languages
Translations
32 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Catalan:
servitud
— legal right to use another person's property
Chinese Mandarin:
地役权
(dìyìquán)
— legal right to use another person's property
Danish:
servitut
— legal right to use another person's property
Dutch:
erfdienstbaarheid
— legal right to use another person's property
Dutch:
servituut
— legal right to use another person's property
Esperanto:
servitudo
— legal right to use another person's property
Finnish:
rasite
— legal right to use another person's property
Finnish:
rasiteoikeus
— legal right to use another person's property
French:
servitude
— legal right to use another person's property
Middle French:
aisement
— legal right to use another person's property
German:
Dienstbarkeit
— legal right to use another person's property
Hungarian:
használati jog
— legal right to use another person's property
Hungarian:
szolgalmi jog
— legal right to use another person's property
Hungarian:
szolgalom
— legal right to use another person's property
Ido:
servitudo
— legal right to use another person's property
Italian:
servitù
— legal right to use another person's property
Japanese:
地役権
(chiekiken)
— legal right to use another person's property
Latin:
servitus
— legal right to use another person's property
Lithuanian:
servitutas
— legal right to use another person's property
Norwegian Bokmål:
servitutt
— legal right to use another person's property
Norwegian Nynorsk:
servitutt
— legal right to use another person's property
Polish:
serwitut
— legal right to use another person's property
Portuguese:
servidão
— legal right to use another person's property
Russian:
сервитут
(servitut)
— legal right to use another person's property
Spanish:
servidumbre
— legal right to use another person's property
Spanish:
serventía
— legal right to use another person's property
Ukrainian:
сервітут
(servitut)
— legal right to use another person's property
Welsh:
hawddfraint
— legal right to use another person's property
Finnish:
pyöristys
— architecture: curved element
Finnish:
helpotus
— easing, relief
Finnish:
helpotus
— euphemistic: act of relieving oneself
Spanish:
alivio
— euphemistic: act of relieving oneself
