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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary Lib·er·ty city NW Missouri NNE of Kansas City population 26,232 lib·er·ty (plural -ties) ETYMOLOGY Middle English, from Anglo-French liberté, from Latin libertat-, libertas, from liber free — more at liberal DATE 14th century 1. the quality or state of being free: a. the power to do as one pleases b. freedom from physical restraint c. freedom from arbitrary or despotic control d. the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges e. the power of choice 2. a. a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant : privilege b. permission especially to go freely within specified limits 3. an action going beyond normal limits: as a. a breach of etiquette or propriety : familiarity b. risk , chance took foolish liberties with his health c. a violation of rules or a deviation from standard practice d. a distortion of fact 4. a short authorized absence from naval duty usually for less than 48 hours Synonyms: see freedom • • • - at liberty English Etymology liberty late 14c., from O.Fr . liberté "freedom," from L. libertatem (nom.libertas) "freedom, condition of a freeman," from liber "free" (see liberal)"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" (mid-15c.), 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 and in some degree under its municipal jurisdiction" (e.g. Northern Liberties of Philadelphia).http://O.Fr Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 liberty lib·erty / 5libEti; NAmE -bErti / noun(pl. -ies) 1. [U] freedom to live as you choose without too many restrictions from government or authority 自由(自己选择生活方式而不受政府及权威限制): the fight for justice and liberty 争取正义和自由的斗争 2. [U] the state of not being a prisoner or a slave 自由(不受关押或奴役的状态): He had to endure six months' loss of liberty. 他得忍受六个月失去自由之苦。 3. [C] the legal right and freedom to do sth 自由(做某事的合法权利或行动自由): The right to vote should be a liberty enjoyed by all. 投票权应当是人人享有的合法权利。 People fear that security cameras could infringe personal liberties. 人们担心保安摄像机会侵犯人身自由。 ⇨ see also civil liberty 4. [sing.] an act or a statement that may offend or annoy sb, especially because it is done without permission or does not show respect 冒犯行为(或言语)；放肆；失礼: He took the liberty of reading my files while I was away. 他趁我不在时擅自看我的文件。 They've got a liberty, not even sending me a reply. 他们真无礼,连个答覆也不给我回。 IDIOMS ▪ at liberty (formal) (of a prisoner or an animal 囚犯或动物) no longer in prison or in a cage 不再受监禁；自由 SYN free
▪ at liberty to do sth (formal) having the right or freedom to do sth 有权做…；有…自由 SYN free :
You are at liberty to say what you like. 你尽可畅所欲言。 ▪ take 'liberties with sb / sth 1. to make important and unreasonable changes to sth, especially a book (尤指对书)任意窜改: The movie takes considerable liberties with the novel that it is based on. 影片对小说原作作了相当大的改动。 2. (old-fashioned) to be too friendly with sb, especially in a sexual way 过分亲昵；放肆；狎昵；调戏 Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English liberty noun ADJ. great | complete | basic a citizens' charter which gives people basic civil liberties | civil, individual, personal, political, religious VERB + LIBERTY enjoy, have | demand, fight for | win The city won its liberty in the sixteenth century. | lose If found guilty, she is in danger of losing her liberty. | defend, protect, safeguard The law should protect the liberty of the individual. | threaten The new legislation threatens individual liberty. | erode, restrict Our personal liberty is being eroded. | deny, deprive sb of, destroy | allow sb, give sb The system allows us complete liberty to do the task as we like. PREP. at ~ The escaped prisoner has been at liberty for five days. | ~ for demanding greater liberty for women | ~ from liberty from the abuse of police power PHRASES an infringement of liberty, loss of liberty, a threat to liberty Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus-11th Edition n. Function: noun Synonyms: FREEDOM , license Related Words: autonomy, independence; delivery, emancipation, enfranchisement, liberation Contrasted Words: circumscription, confinement, limitation, restriction Antonyms: restraint Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged Search result show the entry is found in: at liberty , or liberty bond , or liberty cap , or liberty freighter , or liberty green , or liberty hall , or liberty horse , or liberty loan , or liberty of contract , or liberty of speech , or liberty of the press , or liberty pole , or liberty ship , or liberty tea , or personal liberty , or political liberty , or statue of liberty , or cap of liberty , or civil liberty , or individual liberty lib·er·ty \ˈlibə(r)d.ē, -)tē, -i\ noun (-es) Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English liberte, from Middle French liberté, from Latin libertat-, libertas, from liber free + -tat-, -tas -ty — more at liberal 1. : the quality or state of being free: a. (1) : freedom from usually external restraint or compulsion : the power to do as one pleases (2) : a condition of legal nonrestraint of natural powers — compare privilege 1e b. : exemption from subjection to the will of another claiming ownership or services — compare bondage , serfdom , slavery c. : freedom from arbitrary or despotic control d. : the power of choice : freedom from necessity : freedom from compulsion or constraint in the act of willing something e. (1) : civil liberty (2) : political liberty (3) : individual liberty (4) : personal liberty 2. : a figure representing a personification of liberty (as on a coin) 3. a. : a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (as from a sovereign power) : privilege , exemption , franchise b. : leave , permission < granted the boy liberty to go out > c. : a place within which certain immunities are enjoyed or jurisdiction is exercised; specifically : a district of some British cities within which the exclusive privilege or franchise of executing legal process was by royal grant vested in one or more persons exempting them from the jurisdiction of the sheriff d. : permission to go freely within the limits < given the liberty of the house > < allowed only the liberty of his prison cell > 4. : action or an action or license that goes beyond a usually acceptable, proper, or wise limit: as a. (1) : action or an action or privilege in or as if in violation of the laws of strict etiquette or propriety : familiarity < guilty of many liberties in his dealings with his superiors > < take undue liberty with a stranger > (2) : an undue intimacy : an improper familiarity especially with another's person b. : an action that goes beyond the limits of prudence < took liberties with his health > c. : action or an action that goes beyond the limits of strict accuracy or conformity (as to a rule) < a certain liberty in his translation > < took liberties in the way he played the game > 5. : a short authorized absence from naval duty usually for less than 48 hours — compare leave 6. : a strong blue that is redder and deeper than sèvres and redder and darker than cerulean blue (sense 1b) — called also regatta • - at liberty |
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