libertine

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈlɪb.ə.tiːn/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈlɪb.ɚ.tin/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

Etymology 1

From Latin libertinus (“a freedman, prop. adj., of or belonging to the condition of a freedman”), from libertus (“a freedman”), from liber (“free”); see liberal, liberate.

Noun

libertine (plural libertines)

1. (historical) Someone freed from slavery in Ancient Rome; a freedman.

Etymology 2

From French libertin.

Noun

libertine (plural libertines)

1. One who is freethinking in religious matters.
2. Someone (especially a man) who takes no notice of moral laws, especially those involving sexual propriety; someone loose in morals; a pleasure-seeker.
   • 2007, Choderlos de Laclos, translated by Helen Constantine, Dangerous Liaisons, Penguin, page 123:

     So the truth of the matter is that a libertine in love, if indeed a libertine can be in love, becomes from that moment in less of a hurry to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:libertine

Related terms

• liberate
• liberal
• liberty

Translations

one who is freethinking in religious matters

• Bulgarian: свободомислещ (bg) (svobodomislešt)
• Dutch: vrijdenker (nl) m, libertijn (nl) m
• Italian: libertino (it) m, antidogmatico (it) m, liberale (it) m
• Polish: libertyn (pl) m
• Swedish: fritänkare (sv) c

someone loose in morals

• Bulgarian: развратник (bg) m (razvratnik)
• Catalan: calavera (ca) m
• Italian: libertino (it) m
• Polish: libertyn (pl) m
• Portuguese: libertino (pt) m
• Spanish: libertino m, crápula (es) m, disoluto (es) m, calavera (es) m
• Swedish: vällusting (sv) c, libertin (sv) c, hedonist (sv) c
• Welsh: libertiniad m

Adjective

libertine (comparative more libertine, superlative most libertine)

1. Dissolute, licentious, profligate; loose in morals.

Related terms

• libertinism
• libertinage

Translations

loose in morals

• Bulgarian: разпуснат (bg) (razpusnat), безнравствен (bg) (beznravstven)
• Italian: libertino (it)
• Portuguese: libertino (pt)

Further reading

• “libertine”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “libertine”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• berlinite

French

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

libertine

1. feminine singular of libertin

Italian

Noun

libertine f

1. plural of libertina

Latin

Adjective

lībertīne

1. vocative masculine singular of lībertīnus