Where does “liberal” come from?
liberal (Old French) comes from Latin līberālis, from Latin Līber, from Old Latin loeber, from French lober, from French lob, from English lob, from English long, from English longitude — small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble.
liberal (Old French): appropriate for a free person; generous; giving
Definitions
- appropriate for a free person; generous; giving
Ancestry of “liberal”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | līberālis | — |
| 2 | Latin | Līber | — |
| 3 | Old Latin | loeber | — |
| 4 | French | lober | to lob |
| 5 | French | lob | lob |
| 6 | English | lob | To throw or hit a ball into the air in a high... |
| 7 | English | long | Having much distance from one terminating point... |
| 8 | English | longitude | Angular distance measured west or east of the... |
| 9 | Old French | longitude | — |
| 10 | Latin | longitūdō | — |
| 11 | Latin | longus | far, long; extended, prolonged; long; tedious,... |
| 12 | Latin | -ē | — |
| 13 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 14 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 15 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 16 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |
Words derived from “liberal”