a. Forms: 5–6 facyl(l)e, 6–8 facil(l, 5– facile. [a. Fr. facile, ad. L. facil-is easy to do; also of persons, easy of access, courteous, easy to deal with, pliant, f. facăre to do.]
1. That can be accomplished with little effort; = EASY 11. Now with somewhat disparaging sense. † Formerly used as predicate with inf. phrase as subject, and in phrase facile and easy.
1483. Caxton, Æsop, 97. It is facyle to scape out of the handes of the blynd.
1538. Starkey, England, I. iv. 133–4. As the one ys ful of hardnes and dyffyculty, and by the prouydence of God, put only in the power of prynces of the world, so the other ys facyle and esy, and open to euery prudent man and polytyke.
1577. Holinshed, Scot. Chron., I. 449/1. They … thought it easie and facile to be concluded.
1641. Prynne, Antip., Epist. 4. I gathered with no facil labour, the most of those Materials I here present unto your Honours.
1676. J. Worlidge, Vinetum Britannicum, or a Treatise of Cider (1691), 236. The more facile making of the Linnen Manufacture.
a. 1708. Beveridge, Serm. xci. Wks. 1729. II. 126. All other acts of piety will be facile and easy to him.
1856. Froude, Hist. Eng., I. 357. Having won, as he supposed, his facile victory.
1876. Patterson, in C. M. Davies, Unorth. Lond., 249–50. Though the work appears facile, those who went last year can attest that the facilities for ordinary traffic are apt to break down and interfere with comfort.
2. Of a course of action, a method: Presenting few difficulties.
1559. W. Cuningham, Cosmogr. Glasse, 109. The waye is very facile, and without great laboure.
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts (1673), 152. Yet have they found out this facile and ready course.
1639. Fuller, Holy War, III. ii. (1647), 112. His Holinesse hath a facile and cheap way both to gratifie and engage ambitious spirits.
a. 1718. Penn, Tracts, Wks. 1726. I. 703. It will render the Magistrates Province more facil.
1807. Vancouver, Agric. Devon (1813), 463–4. The baiting of post, stage, and trvelling horses with rye, oat, or bean bread, in the manner performed on the continent, is an infinitely more economical and facile mode of administering refreshment to a jaded animal, than by giving them the crude unbroken corn, so universally practised in this country.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., II. ix. 271. The facile modes of measurement which we now employ.
† b. Easy to understand or to make use of. Obs.
1531. Elyot, The Boke Named the Gouernour, I. v. As touchynge grammere there is at this day better introductions and more facile, than euer before were made, concernynge as well greke as latine, if they be wysely chosen.
1579. Digges, Stratiot., II. vii. 47. We have by the former Rules produced this playne and facile Aequation.
1633. Sc. Acts Chas. I., c. 34. The short and facile grammer.
1644. Milton, Of Education, 100. Those poets which are now counted most hard, will be both facil and pleasant.
1676. J. Worlidge, Vinetum Britannicum, or a Treatise of Cider (1691), 103. To make this Curious Machine more useful and facile.
1786. T. Woolston, Letter, in Fenning, The Young Algebraist’s Companion (1787), p. v. It having been long considered as a most facile Introduction to Algebra.
1797. Mrs. A. M. Bennett, Beggar Girl (1813), II. 24. The harp and the piano-forte were equally facile to Rosa.
3. Moving without effort, unconstrained; flowing, running, or working freely; fluent, ready.
1605. B. Jonson, Volpone, III. ii.
| This author … has so modern and facile a vein, | |
| Fitting the time, and catching the court-ear. |
1657. R. Austen, A Treatise of Fruit-Trees, II. 204. One man excells … in a facile, and ready expression.
1796. Ld. Sheffield, in Ld. Auckland’s Correspondence (1862), III. 371, 25 Dec. Your critical taste and happy facile expression in writing is well adapted to such composition.
1820. L. Hunt, The Indicator, No. 31 (1822), I. 246. If we take real flesh and blood with us, we may throw ourselves, on the facile wings of our sympathy, into what age we please.
1865. Swinburne, Alalanta in Calydon, 1641.
| For all deaths | |
| Or honourable or with facile feet avenged. |
1873. Symonds, Grk. Poets, v. 144. Enough has been said about Stesichorus to show that he was a richly inventive genius, one of those facile and abundant natures who excel in many branches of art, and who give hints by which posterity may profit.
1886. Stubbs, Med. & Mod. Hist., iii. 57. To the facile pen of an Oxford man we owe the production of the most popular manual of our history.
4. Of persons, dispositions, speech, etc.: † a. Easy of access or converse, affable, courteous (obs.). b. Characterized by ease of behavior.
c. 1590. Greene, Fr. Bacon, I. iii. Facile and debonair in all his deeds.
1638. Featley, Transubst., 219. A young Gentleman of a facile and affable disposition, and not deeply learned.
1782. Mad. D’Arblay, Diary, 12 Aug. My father is all himself—gay, facile, and sweet.
1844. Disraeli, Coningsby, III. v. Manners, though facile, sufficiently finished.
1876. J. G. Holland, Sevenoaks, x. 134. He was positive, facile, amiable, and the boys were as happy together as their parents were.
c. Not harsh or severe, gentle, lenient, mild. Const. to; also to with inf.
1541. Elyot, Image Gov., 88. Your proper nature is mylde, facile, gentyll, and wytty.
1631. J. Weever, Ancient Funerall Monuments, 116. She was of a more facile and better inclined disposition.
1655. Fuller, The Church-History of Britain, V. v. § 7. Q. Elizabeth … A Princesse most facil to forgive injuries.
1670. Milton, Hist. Eng., Wks. 1738, II. 80. However he were facil to his Son, and seditious Nobles, in yeilding up part of his Kingdom, yet his Queen he treated not the less honourably, for whomsoever he displeas’d.
1851. Sir F. Palgrave, Norm. & Eng., I. 297. The guilty sons were too happy to avail themselves of his facile tenderness.
5. Easily led or wrought upon; flexible, pliant; compliant, yielding.
1511. Colet, A Sermon of Conforming and Reforming, in Phenix (1708), II. 8. Those canons … that do learn you … not to be too facile in admitting into Holy Orders.
1556. Lauder, Tractate concernyng ye Office and Dewtie of Kyngis, 251.
| Be nocht ouir facill for to trow, | |
| Quhill that ȝe try the mater throw. |
c. 1610. Sir J. Melvil, Mem. (1683), 103–4. Facil Princes, who promote them [Flatterers] above faithful Friends and true Servants.
1647–8. Joseph Beaumont, Psyche, XVII. cxcvii. That facil Hearts should to themselves be foes.
1671. Milton, P. R., I. 51.
| Since Adam and his facil consort Eve | |
| Lost Paradise, deceiv’d by me. |
1805. Foster, Ess., II. vi. 192. The tame security of facile friendly coincidence.
b. in Scots Law. ‘Possessing that softness of disposition that he is liable to be easily wrought upon by others’ (Jam.).
1887. Grierson, Dickson’s Tract. Evidence, § 35. Proof that the granter of a deed was naturally weak and facile … has been held to reflect the burden of proving that [etc.].
c. transf. Of things: Easily moved, yielding, ‘easily surmountable; easily conquerable’ (J.).
1667. Milton, P. L., IV. 966.
| Henceforth not to scorne | |
| The facil gates of hell too slightly barrd. |
† 6. quasi-adv. Easily; without difficulty. Obs.
c. 1523. Wolsey, in Fiddes Life, II. (1726), 114. His countries, whose parts non of the Lords or Commons would soe facile inclyne unto.
1548. Hall, Chron. (1809), 316. Whatsoever were purposed to hym they … might easely se and facile heare the same.
1560. Rolland, The Court of Venus, II. 80.
| The nine Muses … mair facill ȝour mater will consaif, | |
| Fra time that thay heir ȝour enarratiue. |
