Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “liberate” come from?

Liberate comes from Latin liberatus, the past participle of libero, derived from the adjective liber meaning free.

liberate (English): To set free, to make or allow to be free,...

Definitions

  1. To set free, to make or allow to be free,...

Ancestry of “liberate”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinlīberātus—
2Latinlīberō—
3Latinlīberāre—
4LatinLīber—
5Old Latinloeber—
6Frenchloberto lob
7Frenchloblob
8EnglishlobTo throw or hit a ball into the air in a high...
9EnglishlongHaving much distance from one terminating point...
10EnglishlongitudeAngular distance measured west or east of the...
11Old Frenchlongitude—
12Latinlongitūdō—
13Latinlongusfar, long; extended, prolonged; long; tedious,...
14Latin-ē—
15Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
16Latincalceusshoe
17Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
18Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

Words derived from “liberate”

  • liberating
  • liberative
  • liberatingly
  • liberin
  • liberatest
  • liberateth
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ →