liberalis

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [liː.bɛˈraː.lɪs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [li.beˈraː.lis]^[1]

Forms

līberālis (neuter līberāle, comparative līberālior, superlative līberālissimus, adverb līberāliter); third-declension two-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin līber (“free”) + -ālis.^[2][1] Līber continues Old Latin loeber and Proto-Italic *louðeros, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lewdʰ- (“people”).^[1] Isidore of Seville derived the adjective instead from libenter “willingly”, of one who gives gladly.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus has “what a gentlemanly character men have!” and a captive girl of fine and noble looks.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus about 250–184 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant of or relating to free men, and in law a liberalis causa was a suit about a person's free status.^[2][5] It meant worthy of a free man, gentlemanly or decent, and of appearance fine or noble, in Plautus and Terence.^[2] From this came magnanimous and obliging, then free in giving, generous, as Cicero's two kinds of givers, and of things ample or lavish.^[2] Döderlein notes that liberalis, like benignus and munificus, implies a virtue in the giver, which largus does not.^[6]

The liberal studies were those fit for a free man, discussed by Seneca, and medieval writers kept the term for the artes liberales, the liberal arts.^[3][7] Medieval Latin also used it of a freeman's status and of privileged persons.^[8] English liberal is recorded in the mid-14th century as “generous” and “nobly born”, and as a political term from 1820.^[9]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of gentlemanly character.^[2][4]
• 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of a free man's duty.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of generosity.^[2][4]
• mid-14th century – English liberal is recorded.^[9]
• 1820 – English liberal is used as a political term.^[9]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of free men, liberalis causa, a suit about free status.^[2][1]
2. Worthy of a free man, gentlemanly, decent.^[2][1]
3. Noble, fine in appearance.^[2]
4. magnanimous, obliging.^[2]
5. generous, liberal.^[2][1]
6. (of things) Ample, lavish.^[2][1]
7. artes liberales, the liberal arts.^[7]

Word family

• illīberālis
• līberālitās
• perlīberālis

Related words

• līberālismus
• līberāliter
• līberātiō
• līberātor
• līberātrīx
• līberē
• līberī
• līberō
• līberta
• lībertās
• liber
• largus
• English liberal

Usage notes

Döderlein distinguishes largus, anyone who gives richly from whatever motive, from benignus, liberalis and munificus, which denote virtues in the giver.^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
7. ^ a b Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
8. ^ Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
9. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com