Dictionary / liberty
liberty
- noun
- from Old French
The condition of being free.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “liberty” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
noun
- countableuncountableThe condition of being free.
The army is here, your liberty is assured.
- countableuncountableThe condition of being free from imprisonment, slavery or forced labour.
The prisoners gained their liberty from an underground tunnel.
- countableuncountableThe condition of being free to act, believe or express oneself as one chooses.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
- countableuncountableFreedom from excessive government control.
The threat of terrorism to the British lies in the overreaction to it of British governments. Each one in turn clicks up the ratchet of surveillance, intrusion and security. Each one diminishes liberty.2012 December 14, Simon Jenkins, “We mustn't overreact to North Korea boys' toys”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 2, page 23:
- countableuncountableA short period when a sailor is allowed ashore.
We're going on a three-day liberty as soon as we dock.
- countableoftenpluraluncountableA breach of social convention.
You needn't take such liberties.
- countableuncountableAn empty space next to a group of stones of the same color.
Older & obsolete senses (1)
- countablehistoricaluncountableA local division of government administration in medieval England.
Cross-check: WordNet senses (5)
- nounimmunity from arbitrary exercise of authority: political independence — also: autonomy
- nounfreedom of choice
- nounpersonal freedom from servitude or confinement or oppression
- nounleave granted to a sailor or naval officer — also: shore leave
- nounan act of undue intimacy — also: familiarity, impropriety, indecorum
Synonyms: freedom
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)liberty
- Middle Englishliberte
- Old Frenchliberté
- Latinlibertas “freedom”
- Latinliber “free”
From Middle English liberte, from Old French liberté, from Latin libertas (“freedom”), from liber (“free”); see liberal.
Derivatives — words built from “liberty”
Phrases & compounds
Related terms
Want to go deeper? See also “liberty” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “liberty” came from before it was English.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
liberty n. [OE. liberte, F. libert, fr. L. libertas, fr. liber free. See Liberal.]
- The state of a free person; exemption from subjection to the will of another claiming ownership of the person or services; freedom; -- opposed to slavery, serfdom, bondage, or subjection.
- Freedom from imprisonment, bonds, or other restraint upon locomotion.
- A privilege conferred by a superior power; permission granted; leave; as, liberty given to a child to play, or to a witness to leave a court, and the like.
- Privilege; exemption; franchise; immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant; as, the liberties of the commercial cities of Europe.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
nounMeaning: The condition of being free.
The army is here, your liberty is assured.
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that "all men are created equal"^([sic])1863 November 19, Abraham Lincoln, Dedicatory Remarks (Gettysburg Address)^(https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Gettysburg_Address_(Nicolay_draft)), near Soldiers' National Cemetery, →LCCN, Nicolay draft, page 1:
nounMeaning: The condition of being free from imprisonment, slavery or forced labour.
The prisoners gained their liberty from an underground tunnel.
nounMeaning: The condition of being free to act, believe or express oneself as one chooses.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
nounMeaning: Freedom from excessive government control.
The threat of terrorism to the British lies in the overreaction to it of British governments. Each one in turn clicks up the ratchet of surveillance, intrusion and security. Each one diminishes liberty.2012 December 14, Simon Jenkins, “We mustn't overreact to North Korea boys' toys”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 2, page 23:
nounMeaning: A short period when a sailor is allowed ashore.
We're going on a three-day liberty as soon as we dock.
nounMeaning: A breach of social convention.
You needn't take such liberties.
nounMeaning: freedom of choice
liberty of opinion
liberty of worship
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
liberty
/ˈlɪbəti/ · lib·er·ty
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
liberty
/ˈlɪbəti/ · lib·er·ty · noun
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “liberty” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — Which meaning is it?
“The army is here, your liberty is assured.”
Circle the meaning used.
“The prisoners gained their liberty from an underground tunnel.”
Circle the meaning used.
“Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.”
Circle the meaning used.
Step 4 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “liberty” and what each means:
Step 5 — Original meaning
The earliest traceable form is Latin liber. What did it mean?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 6 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — liberty
Which meaning, sentence 1: B. The condition of being free.
Which meaning, sentence 2: C. The condition of being free from imprisonment, slavery or forced labour.
Which meaning, sentence 3: C. The condition of being free to act, believe or express oneself as one chooses.
Origin: A. Old French (Old French liberté)
Journey: English liberty ← Middle English liberte ← Old French liberté ← Latin libertas ← Latin liber
Some derivatives: antiliberty, cyberliberty, illiberty, libertyless
Original meaning: Latin liber — “free”
Etymology: From Middle English liberte, from Old French liberté, from Latin libertas (“freedom”), from liber (“free”); see liberal.
Sources: Wiktionary “liberty” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/liberty#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/liberty