liberi

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈliː.bɛ.riː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈliː.be.ri]^[1]

Forms

līberī m pl (genitive līberōrum); second declension^[1] Inscriptions have nominative and dative leibereis.^[2] The genitive is usually līberum, but līberōrum is used from Ennius and Plautus on, and the singular is rare.^[2]

Etymology

It is the plural of līber “free”, used as a noun.^[2][3][1] The OLD notes that the development of the sense “children” is variously explained.^[2] De Vaan follows Benveniste, who explains it from legal language, in which the legitimate children of a free couple were called “the free ones”.^[3] ⟨līber⟩ goes back to Proto-Italic *leuþero-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁leudʰ-ero-, originally “belonging to the people”, as in Ancient Greek ἐλεύθερος (eleútheros, “free”).^[3] The dative plural Venetic louderobos (“for the children”) shows the same sense.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates the sense “children” from Plautus, and Ennius has the genitive līberōrum.^[3][2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant sons and daughters, children, always in relation to their parents rather than by age, as in Cicero's līberōs prōcreāre “to beget children”.^[2][5] In law it included grandchildren and further descendants, as in Gaius and Ulpian, and Pliny the Younger and Suetonius mention the iūs trium līberōrum “right of three children”.^[2]

In British Medieval Latin it meant sons and daughters, children, and in the singular a son, child.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of children.^[3][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero has līberōs prōcreāre.^[5][4]
• before 223 AD – Ulpian includes grandchildren and further descendants.^[2][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. Sons and daughters, children (in relation to their parents).^[2][5]
2. (law) Children and further descendants.^[2]

Word family

• illiberis
• līberālis

Related words

• līber
• līberālitās
• līberāliter
• līberātiō
• līberātor
• līberē
• līberō
• līberta
• lībertās
• lībertīnus

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ 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