liberty
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: From Middle English liberte, from Old French liberté, from Latin libertas (“freedom”), from liber (“free”); see liberal.
Inflected forms:
form: liberties
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: libertie
pos: noun
tags: alternative
Senses:
gloss: The condition of being free.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: 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])
But as the philosopher Isaiah Berlin sagely pointed out, liberty for wolves means death to lambs.
[Edmund] Burke continued to fight for liberty later on in life. He backed Americans in their campaign for freedom from British taxation. He supported Catholic freedoms and freer trade with Ireland, in spite of his constituents’ ire. He wanted more liberal laws on the punishment of debtors.
Now liberal cultural power has increased, the ACLU doesn’t seem very interested in the liberties of non-progressives anymore, and Dr. Seuss sells as pricey samizdat.
gloss: The condition of being free from imprisonment, slavery or forced labour.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: The prisoners gained their liberty from an underground tunnel.
gloss: The condition of being free to act, believe or express oneself as one chooses.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
I'd gie my ſhoon frae aff my feet, / To taſte ſic fruit, I ſwear, man. / Syne let us pray, auld England may / Sure plant this far-famed tree, man; / And blythe we'll ſing, and hail the day / That gave us liberty, man.
gloss: Freedom from excessive government control.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: 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.
gloss: A short period when a sailor is allowed ashore.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: We're going on a three-day liberty as soon as we dock.
gloss: A breach of social convention.
pos: noun
tags: countable
often
plural
uncountable
examples: You needn't take such liberties.
gloss: A local division of government administration in medieval England.
pos: noun
tags: countable
historical
uncountable
gloss: An empty space next to a group of stones of the same color.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
Synonyms: freedom
Related words: liberal
liberalism
liberate
libertarian
libertarianism
liberticidal
liberticide
libertine
Derived words: antiliberty
at liberty
cap of liberty
Cinderella liberty
civil liberty
cyberliberty
illiberty
indecent liberty
liberty bodice
liberty bond
liberty cabbage
liberty cap
Liberty County
Liberty Grove
libertyless
liberty loan
liberty man
liberty measles
liberty of conscience
liberty of indifference
liberty of speech
liberty sandwich
liberty sausage
liberty ship
liberty spike
liberty steak
liberty taker
person deprived of liberty
religious liberty
take liberties
take the liberty
Translations: