lib·er·ty (l
b
r-t
)
n. pl. lib·er·ties
1.
a. The condition of being free from restriction or control.
b. The right and power to act, believe, or express oneself in a manner of one's own choosing.
c. The condition of being physically and legally free from confinement, servitude, or forced labor. See Synonyms at
freedom.
2.
Freedom from unjust or undue governmental control.
3.
A right or immunity to engage in certain actions without control or interference: the liberties protected by the Bill of Rights.
4.
a. A breach or overstepping of propriety or social convention. Often used in the plural.
b. A statement, attitude, or action not warranted by conditions or actualities: a historical novel that takes liberties with chronology.
c. An unwarranted risk; a chance: took foolish liberties on the ski slopes.
5. A period, usually short, during which a sailor is authorized to go ashore.
Idiom: at liberty
1.
Not in confinement or under constraint; free.
2.
Not employed, occupied, or in use.
[Middle English liberte, from Old French, from Latin l
bert
s, from l
ber,
free; see leudh- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by
Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
liberty [ˈlɪbətɪ]
n pl -ties
1.
the power of choosing, thinking, and acting for oneself; freedom from control or restriction
2.
the right or privilege of access to a particular place; freedom
3.
(often plural) a social action regarded as being familiar, forward, or improper
4.
(often plural) an action that is unauthorized or unwarranted in the circumstances he took liberties with the translation
5.
(Transport / Nautical Terms)
a. authorized leave granted to a sailor
b. (
as modifier) liberty man liberty boat
at liberty free, unoccupied, or unrestricted
take liberties (with) to be overfamiliar or overpresumptuous
take the liberty (of or to) to venture or presume (to do something)[from Old French
liberté, from Latin
lībertās, from
līber free]
Collins English Dictionary Complete and Unabridged 6th Edition 2003. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003