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"liberal" in seven languages

Meaningliberal

Spanish

liberal

/libeˈɾal/

learned

French

libéral

/libeʁal/

learned

plural: libéraux

Italian

liberale

/libeˈrale/

learned

Portuguese

liberal

/libeˈɾaw/

learned

Romanian

liberal

/libeˈral/

learned

Catalan

liberal

/libəˈɾal/

learned

English

liberal

/ˈlɪbɚəl/

from Latin/French · Old French liberal, from Latin LĪBERĀLIS

English → ItalianliberalliberaleCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

LĪBERĀLEM‘befitting a free man; generous’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

LĪBERĀLIS described what suited a free man (LĪBER), hence 'generous' — still alive in English 'a liberal helping'. The political sense came later and is learned in all four languages.

English relatives: liberty, liberate, liberal arts

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In a sentence

  • esTiene ideas muy liberales.
  • frElle a des idées très libérales.
  • itHa idee molto liberali.
  • ptEla tem ideias muito liberais.
  • roAre idei foarte liberale.
  • caTé idees molt liberals.
  • enShe has very liberal ideas.

The Latin family

LĪBER-· free

LĪBERUM 'free' was so tied to law and the Church that in Spanish, French and Italian the adjective survives only in learned or semi-learned shapes (libre, libre, libero); Portuguese livre and Catalan lliure show more wear, and Romanian liber was taken from Latin. The verb LĪBERĀRE did run the popular course, turning into Spanish librar, Portuguese livrar, Catalan lliurar and French livrer 'to deliver' — the learned liberar, libérer is its doublet. Not to be confused with LIBRUM 'book' (short i, originally 'inner bark').

  • LĪBERUMfree

    eslibrefrlibreitliberoptlivrerolibercalliure

  • LĪBERTĀTEMfreedom

    eslibertadfrlibertéitlibertàptliberdaderolibertatecallibertatenliberty

  • LĪBERĀREto free; (legal) to hand over

    eslibrarfrlivrerptlivrarcalliurarendeliver

  • LĪBERĀREto set free (learned)

    esliberarfrlibéreritliberareptliberarroeliberaenliberate

  • LĪBERĀLEMbefitting a free man; generous

    esliberalfrlibéralitliberaleptliberalroliberalcaliberalenliberal

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