Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “libertine” come from?

Libertine comes from Latin libertinus, formed from liber meaning "free" and the suffix -inus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁lewdʰ-.

libertine (English): Someone freed from slavery in Ancient Rome; a...

Definitions

  1. Someone freed from slavery in Ancient Rome; a...

Ancestry of “libertine”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchlibertinlibertine
2LatinlibertinusOf or pertaining to the qualities of a freedman;...
3Latinlībertus—
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 “libertine”

  • libertinism
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ →