liberare Italian · revision 38752

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1304–1308, Dante|origins=la līber}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /li.beˈra.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''liberare''' (first-person singular present lìbero, first-person singular past historic liberài, past participle liberàto, auxiliary avére)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old and dialect forms include ''liverare'' and ''livrare'', which go back to the French form of the verb; the past participle also had a short form ''libero''.^(DEI|2221)^(Körting 1907)^(GDLI|9, 8)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a learned [[bor|la|līberō|t=to set free]], derived from the adjective [[m|la|līber|t=free]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(DEI|2221)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) DELI dates it to Dante (1304–1308).^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ The Latin verb also lived on in popular use with the secondary sense “to hand over, deliver”: [[fr|livrer]], [[pro|liurar]] and [[ca|lliurar]] have it, as does [[de|liefern]].^(DEI|2221)^(REW 1935)^(Körting 1907) [[roa-oit|liverare]] and [[m|roa-oit|livrare]], still used in Lucca in the 15th century, were taken from French;^(DEI|2221)^(Körting 1907)^(REW 1935)^(Wiktionary) Körting glosses them “to finish” and “to deliver”, and in Old Umbrian the verb meant “to earn”.^(DEI|2221)^(Körting 1907)^(REW 1935)^(Wiktionary) In Sardinian and Catalan the verb came to mean “to give birth”.^(DEI|2221)^(REW 1935) The French noun [[m|fr|livrée]], the clothing “delivered” by a lord to his servants, was borrowed as [[livrea]].^(REW 1935)^(Körting 1907) The learned French verb is [[m|fr|libérer]], of the 14th century.^(DEI|2221)

+

+ Latin [[m|la|līber]] goes back to [[itc-pro|*leuþero-]] and [[ine-pro|*h₁leudʰero-]], “belonging to the people”, hence “free”, as in [[grc|ἐλεύθερος|tr=eleútheros|t=free]]; the root [[ine-pro|*h₁leudʰ-|t=to grow]] also gave [[goh|liut|t=people]].^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record is in Dante (1304–1308), in the sense “to make free by removing hindrances or loosening bonds”.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003) The sense “to exempt” follows in the statute of the Florentine cloth merchants of Calimala (1332–1337).^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Matteo Villani (before 1363) uses the verb for giving freedom back to someone, and GDLI quotes him on vassals freed from their fealty; the same sense covered the freeing of slaves and serfs, as in Bernardo Segni's account of Andrea Doria freeing the Christian slaves in a harbour.^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI|9, 8) In law the verb came to mean releasing a debtor from a debt once it is paid.^(GDLI|9, 8) The reflexive ''liberarsi'' “to free oneself, to get rid of” is dated to Bernardo Davanzati in 1602.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ Tommaseo's dictionary records the sense “to save from a danger” in 1869, and the commercial ''liberare un'azione'', to pay the full nominal value of a share, is in Panzini's dictionary of 1918.^(DELI 1999) The phrase ''Dio ce ne scampi e liberi!'' “God preserve us from it!” keeps the religious sense of deliverance from evil.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011) Modern uses also include freeing a room or a seat, clearing a surface, releasing a jammed mechanism, and in chemistry and physics giving off a substance or energy.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1304–1308 – Dante uses ''liberare''.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * 1332–1337 – The Calimala statute has it for “to exempt”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1363 – Matteo Villani uses it for setting someone free.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 15th century – ''Livrare'', from French, is recorded at Lucca.^(DEI|2221)

+ * 1602 – Bernardo Davanzati has the reflexive ''liberarsi''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1869 – Tommaseo's dictionary records the sense “to save from a danger”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1918 – ''Liberare un'azione'' “to pay a share in full” is in Panzini's dictionary.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To set [[m|en|free]], to [[m|en|release]] (a prisoner, a slave, an animal): ''Dopo tre anni lo liberarono dal carcere.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # To free from oppression, a siege or an occupying force: ''L'esercito liberò il villaggio.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # To rid someone of something that torments or troubles them, or of an unwelcome person: ''Quel farmaco lo ha liberato dal mal di testa.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # To [[m|en|vacate]], to leave free: ''Dobbiamo liberare la stanza entro mezzogiorno.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # To [[m|en|clear]] of clutter, also figuratively: ''Ho liberato il tavolo dai libri.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # To exempt from an obligation, a duty or a tax.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # To free from an obstruction, to unjam (a mechanism, a rope).^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(figurative)'' To give free rein to (one's energy, imagination or feelings).^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(chemistry, physics)'' To release, give off: ''La reazione libera calore.''^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(commerce)'' To pay the full value of (a share or bond).^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[liberazione]]

+ * [[liberatore]]

+ * [[liberatorio]]

+ * [[liberabile]]

+ * [[liberamento]]

+ * [[liberativo]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[libero]]

+ * [[libertà]]

+ * [[livrea]]

+ * [[la|līber]]

+ * [[fr|livrer]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Dio ce ne scampi e liberi!'' is a set exclamation for warding off a misfortune.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)^(Gabrielli 2020) ''Liberare l'intestino'' and ''liberare lo stomaco'' are euphemisms for defecating and vomiting.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}