li·a·bil·i·ty

[lahy-uh-bil-i-tee]
noun, plural li·a·bil·i·ties.
1.
liabilities.
a.
moneys owed; debts or pecuniary obligations ( opposed to assets ).
b.
Accounting. liabilities as detailed on a balance sheet, especially in relation to assets and capital.
2.
something disadvantageous: His lack of education is his biggest liability.
3.
Also, li·a·ble·ness. the state or quality of being liable: liability to disease.

Origin:
1785–95; li(able) + -ability

non·li·a·bil·i·ty, noun, plural non·li·a·bil·i·ties.
pre·li·a·bil·i·ty, noun, plural pre·li·a·bil·i·ties.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
liability (ˌlaɪəˈbɪlɪtɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n , pl -ties
1.  the state of being liable
2.  a financial obligation
3.  a hindrance or disadvantage
4.  likelihood or probability

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Liability is an LSAT word you need to know.
So is ensure. Does it mean:
to cause or involve by necessity or as a consequence:
make certain of obtaining or providing something
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

liability
c.1800, a term in law; "condition of being legally liable;" from liable. General sense is from 1809; meaning "thing for which one is liable" is first attested 1842. Related: Liabilities.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

liability definition


An obligation or debt.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
If the mortgage is refinanced, the lender could retain some liability due to
  the quality of the loan.
They also argued that such immunity is intended to shield individual officials,
  and not governing boards, from liability.
They also know how to lobby governments in order to sell their drugs and to
  avoid liability.
In reality, the bank faces no liability if the prime rate rises.
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