[lib-er-tee] Pronunciation Key | 1. | freedom from arbitrary or despotic government or control. |
| 2. | freedom from external or foreign rule; independence. |
| 3. | freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, hampering conditions, etc.; power or right of doing, thinking, speaking, etc., according to choice. |
| 4. | freedom from captivity, confinement, or physical restraint: The prisoner soon regained his liberty. |
| 5. | permission granted to a sailor, esp. in the navy, to go ashore. |
| 6. | freedom or right to frequent or use a place: The visitors were given the liberty of the city. |
| 7. | unwarranted or impertinent freedom in action or speech, or a form or instance of it: to take liberties. |
| 8. | a female figure personifying freedom from despotism. |
| 9. | at liberty,
|
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
| lib·er·ty
(lĭb'ər-tē) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. lib·er·ties
[Middle English liberte, from Old French, from Latin lībertās, from līber, free; see leudh- in Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
liberty
"The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure it is right." [Learned Hand, 1944]Nautical sense of "leave of absence" is from 1758. To take liberties "go beyond the bounds of propriety" is from 1625. Sense of "privileges" led to sense of "a person's private land" (1455), which yielded sense in 18c. England and America of "a district within a county but having its own justice of the peace," and also "a district adjacent to a city but under its municipal jurisdiction" (e.g. Northern Liberties of Philadelphia).
| liberty | |
noun | |
| 1. | immunity from arbitrary exercise of authority: political independence [syn: autonomy] |
| 2. | freedom of choice; "liberty of opinion"; "liberty of worship"; "liberty--perfect liberty--to think or feel or do just as one pleases"; "at liberty to choose whatever occupation one wishes" |
| 3. | personal freedom from servitude or confinement or oppression |
| 4. | leave granted to a sailor or naval officer [syn: shore leave] |
| 5. | an act of undue intimacy [syn: familiarity] |
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Main Entry: lib·er·ty
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ties
1 a : freedom from external (as governmental) restraint, compulsion, or interference in engaging in the pursuits or conduct of one's choice to the extent that they are lawful and not harmful to others b : enjoyment of the rights enjoyed by others in a society free of arbitrary or unreasonable limitation or interference
2 : freedom from physical restraint
3 : freedom from subjection to the will of another claiming ownership or services
4 : RIGHT
Liberty Farms, CA Zip code(s): 95620
Liberty Lake, WA (CDP, FIPS 39335) Location: 47.65441 N, 117.08248 W
Population (1990): 2015 (836 housing units)
Area: 5.5 sq km (land), 2.7 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 99019
Liberty Center, IA Zip code(s): 50145
Liberty Center, IN Zip code(s): 46766
Liberty Center, OH (village, FIPS 43414) Location: 41.44344 N, 84.00811 W
Population (1990): 1084 (421 housing units)
Area: 2.7 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 43532
Liberty Hill, TX Zip code(s): 78642
Liberty County, TX (county, FIPS 291) Location: 30.14895 N, 94.81238 W
Population (1990): 52726 (22243 housing units)
Area: 3003.9 sq km (land), 42.7 sq km (water)
Liberty County, MT (county, FIPS 51) Location: 48.54889 N, 111.02519 W
Population (1990): 2295 (1007 housing units)
Area: 3703.2 sq km (land), 45.0 sq km (water)
Liberty County, GA (county, FIPS 179) Location: 31.80000 N, 81.46192 W
Population (1990): 52745 (16776 housing units)
Area: 1344.5 sq km (land), 216.2 sq km (water)
Liberty County, FL (county, FIPS 77) Location: 30.23280 N, 84.88691 W
Population (1990): 5569 (2157 housing units)
Area: 2165.1 sq km (land), 18.9 sq km (water)
Liberty City, TX (CDP, FIPS 42616) Location: 32.45006 N, 94.94461 W
Population (1990): 1607 (578 housing units)
Area: 10.1 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Liberty, NC (town, FIPS 38100) Location: 35.85416 N, 79.57136 W
Population (1990): 2047 (929 housing units)
Area: 6.5 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 27298
Liberty, NE (village, FIPS 26980) Location: 40.08503 N, 96.48304 W
Population (1990): 74 (44 housing units)
Area: 0.6 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 68381
Liberty, NY (village, FIPS 42224) Location: 41.79746 N, 74.74636 W
Population (1990): 4128 (1827 housing units)
Area: 6.0 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 12754
Liberty, PA (borough, FIPS 43128) Location: 41.55987 N, 77.10511 W
Population (1990): 199 (86 housing units)
Area: 1.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 16930
Liberty, WV Zip code(s): 25124
Liberty, SC (town, FIPS 41380) Location: 34.79247 N, 82.69536 W
Population (1990): 3228 (1357 housing units)
Area: 10.6 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 29657
Liberty, MS (town, FIPS 40640) Location: 31.16015 N, 90.80121 W
Population (1990): 624 (300 housing units)
Area: 5.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 39645
Liberty, IL (village, FIPS 43133) Location: 39.88076 N, 91.10802 W
Population (1990): 541 (216 housing units)
Area: 0.8 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 62347
Liberty, ME Zip code(s): 04949
Liberty, KY (city, FIPS 46072) Location: 37.31785 N, 84.93060 W
Population (1990): 1937 (905 housing units)
Area: 4.4 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 42539
Liberty, KS (city, FIPS 40250) Location: 37.15614 N, 95.59775 W
Population (1990): 140 (63 housing units)
Area: 0.7 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 67351
Liberty, IN (town, FIPS 43434) Location: 39.63447 N, 84.92697 W
Population (1990): 2051 (888 housing units)
Area: 2.1 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 47353
Liberty, TX (city, FIPS 42568) Location: 30.04602 N, 94.79769 W
Population (1990): 7733 (3125 housing units)
Area: 92.0 sq km (land), 0.9 sq km (water)
Liberty, TN (town, FIPS 42040) Location: 36.00398 N, 85.97782 W
Population (1990): 391 (160 housing units)
Area: 2.7 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Liberty, MO (city, FIPS 42032) Location: 39.24205 N, 94.41911 W
Population (1990): 20459 (7645 housing units)
Area: 69.7 sq km (land), 0.1 sq km (water)
Liberty, PA (borough, FIPS 43064) Location: 40.32380 N, 79.85798 W
Population (1990): 2744 (1144 housing units)
Area: 3.7 sq km (land), 0.2 sq km (water)
Liberty, OK (town, FIPS 42860) Location: 35.85872 N, 95.97720 W
Population (1990): 155 (67 housing units)
Area: 15.8 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
West Liberty, OH (village, FIPS 83734) Location: 40.25384 N, 83.75796 W
Population (1990): 1613 (652 housing units)
Area: 2.5 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 43357
West Liberty, IL Zip code(s): 62475
West Liberty, IA (city, FIPS 84315) Location: 41.57266 N, 91.26380 W
Population (1990): 2935 (1103 housing units)
Area: 3.9 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 52776
North Liberty, IN (town, FIPS 54918) Location: 41.53298 N, 86.43037 W
Population (1990): 1366 (552 housing units)
Area: 1.6 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 46554
North Liberty, IA (city, FIPS 57360) Location: 41.74151 N, 91.60933 W
Population (1990): 2926 (1162 housing units)
Area: 12.4 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 52317
New Liberty, KY Zip code(s): 40355
New Liberty, IL Zip code(s): 62910
New Liberty, IA (city, FIPS 56280) Location: 41.71661 N, 90.87856 W
Population (1990): 139 (49 housing units)
Area: 0.2 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 52765
East Liberty, PA Zip code(s): 15206
East Liberty, OH Zip code(s): 43319
West Liberty, KY (city, FIPS 81858) Location: 37.91340 N, 83.26566 W
Population (1990): 1887 (728 housing units)
Area: 10.9 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
West Liberty, PA (borough, FIPS 83376) Location: 41.00730 N, 80.05501 W
Population (1990): 282 (122 housing units)
Area: 10.1 sq km (land), 0.1 sq km (water)
West Liberty, WV (town, FIPS 85876) Location: 40.16726 N, 80.59483 W
Population (1990): 1434 (214 housing units)
Area: 1.7 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Liberty
Lib"er*ty\ (l[i^]b"[~e]r*t[y^]), n.; pl. Liberties (-t[i^]z). [OE. liberte, F. libert['e], fr. L. libertas, fr. liber free. See Liberal.]1. The state of a free person; exemption from subjection to the will of another claiming ownership of the person or services; freedom; -- opposed to slavery, serfdom, bondage, or subjection. But ye . . . caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid whom he had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection. --Jer. xxxiv. 16. Delivered fro the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. --Bible, 1551. Rom. viii. 21. 2. Freedom from imprisonment, bonds, or other restraint upon locomotion. Being pent from liberty, as I am now. --Shak. 3. A privilege conferred by a superior power; permission granted; leave; as, liberty given to a child to play, or to a witness to leave a court, and the like. 4. Privilege; exemption; franchise; immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant; as, the liberties of the commercial cities of Europe. His majesty gave not an entire county to any; much less did he grant . . . any extraordinary liberties. --Sir J. Davies. 5. The place within which certain immunities are enjoyed, or jurisdiction is exercised. [Eng.] Brought forth into some public or open place within the liberty of the city, and there . . . burned. --Fuller. 6. A certain amount of freedom; permission to go freely within certain limits; also, the place or limits within which such freedom is exercised; as, the liberties of a prison. 7. A privilege or license in violation of the laws of etiquette or propriety; as, to permit, or take, a liberty. He was repeatedly provoked into striking those who had taken liberties with him. --Macaulay. 8. The power of choice; freedom from necessity; freedom from compulsion or constraint in willing. The idea of liberty is the idea of a power in any agent to do or forbear any particular action, according to the determination or thought of the mind, whereby either of them is preferred to the other. --Locke. This liberty of judgment did not of necessity lead to lawlessness. --J. A. Symonds. 9. (Manege) A curve or arch in a bit to afford room for the tongue of the horse. 10. (Naut.) Leave of absence; permission to go on shore. At liberty. (a) Unconfined; free. (b) At leisure. Civil liberty, exemption from arbitrary interference with person, opinion, or property, on the part of the government under which one lives, and freedom to take part in modifying that government or its laws. Liberty bell. See under Bell. Liberty cap. (a) The Roman pileus which was given to a slave at his manumission. (b) A limp, close-fitting cap with which the head of representations of the goddess of liberty is often decked. It is sometimes represented on a spear or a liberty pole. Liberty of the press, freedom to print and publish without official supervision. Liberty party, the party, in the American Revolution, which favored independence of England; in more recent usage, a party which favored the emancipation of the slaves. Liberty pole, a tall flagstaff planted in the ground, often surmounted by a liberty cap. [U. S.] Moral liberty, that liberty of choice which is essential to moral responsibility. Religious liberty, freedom of religious opinion and worship. Syn: Leave; permission; license. Usage: Liberty, Freedom. These words, though often interchanged, are distinct in some of their applications. Liberty has reference to previous restraint; freedom, to the simple, unrepressed exercise of our powers. A slave is set at liberty; his master had always been in a state of freedom. A prisoner under trial may ask liberty (exemption from restraint) to speak his sentiments with freedom (the spontaneous and bold utterance of his feelings). The liberty of the press is our great security for freedom of thought.
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