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libens

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word libens

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 250–184 BC, Plautus
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*lubʰ-eh₁-)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin libens
Latin libenter

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈlɪ.bẽːs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈliː.bens][1]

Forms

libēns (genitive libentis, comparative libentior, superlative libentissimus, adverb libenter); third-declension one-termination adjective[1] The older spelling is lubēns.[2][3] Inscriptions have libes and a plural lubetes.[2]

Etymology

It is the present participle of libet (“it pleases”), used as an adjective.[2][1] De Vaan derives ⟨libet⟩, older ⟨lubet⟩, from Proto-Italic *luf-ē- (“to desire”) and Proto-Indo-European *lubʰ-eh₁- (“to please”), with ⟨u⟩ unrounded to ⟨i⟩ before ⟨b⟩.[4] Cognate with Oscan loufir (“or”) and Old Church Slavonic любъ (ljubŭ, “sweet, pleasant”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus has libentī animō, “with a willing heart”, in the Cistellaria, and “to make them happier than Lubentia herself” in the Asinaria;[2] an old votive inscription says that someone “gives a gift to Aesculapius willingly and deservedly”.[2]

Semantic evolution

It is pleased, willing or glad, often almost as an adverb, as in the votive formula libēns meritō, “willingly and deservedly”, abbreviated ⟨L⸱M⟩ in inscriptions.[2][1] Libentī animō is “willingly, gladly”.[2] As an adjective it is cheerful or glad, as in Plautus.[2][1]

Church Latin glosses it “ready, willing, cheerful, glad, with pleasure”.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: libentī animō.[2][6]
  • 204–169 BC – Ennius.[6]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Willing, glad, pleased;[2][1][5] libentī animō, willingly;[2][1][5] libēns meritō, willingly and deservedly (in votive offerings).[2][1]
  2. Cheerful, glad.[2][1][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b c d Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  6. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de

Derived terms

Cite this entry

“Libens.” Etymologically, 19 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/libens. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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