Liberty

How to spell liberty

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce liberty

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does liberty mean?

1. nounThe state of being free from oppressive restriction or control over one's actions and choices.
2. nounAn action that oversteps accepted limits or shows excessive familiarity.

Liberty in a sentence

• The constitution protects individual liberty from government overreach.

• He took the liberty of rearranging her desk while she was away.

• After years in a strict job, she valued the liberty of working for herself.

• Editing the report without asking was a liberty the manager did not appreciate.

Where does liberty come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin libertas, meaning 'freedom' or 'the condition of a free person', which was built on the adjective liber, meaning 'free'. English took it in during the 1300s through Old French liberte, where it carried the political and legal sense of freedom from restraint or bondage. The same liber root underlies a surprising relative: 'liberal', which originally described the kind of education thought fitting for a free citizen rather than a slave. Over time liberty broadened from a strictly legal status into the familiar ideas of personal freedom, civil rights, and even a casual 'taking liberties'. The spelling keeps the Latin -er- of liber intact, so the trap is hearing the unstressed middle and writing -ity, when the ending is in fact -ty.

How the word is built

• liber (free)
• -ty (noun-forming suffix denoting a state or quality)