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liberate

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Etymology 1

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Borrowed from Latin līberātus, the perfect passive participle of līberō (“to set free, deliver”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from līber (“free”); see liberal.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈlɪbəɹeɪt/
  • Hyphenation: lib‧er‧ate
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)

Verb

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liberate (third-person singular simple present liberates, present participle liberating, simple past and past participle liberated)

  1. (transitive) To set free, to make or allow to be free, particularly
    1. To release from slavery: to manumit.
    2. To release from servitude or unjust rule.
    3. To release from restraint or inhibition.
      • 1991 May 12, “Kidnapped!”, in Jeeves and Wooster, Series 2, Episode 5:
        Jeeves: Foreign travel often liberates emotions best kept in check, sir. The air of North America is notoriously stimulating in this regard, as witness the regrettable behavior of its inhabitants in 1776.
        B. Wooster: Hm? What happened in 1776, Jeeves?
        Jeeves: I prefer not to dwell on it, if it's convenient to you, sir.
      You need to free your mind and liberate yourself from prejudice.
    4. (chemistry) To release from chemical bonds or solutions.
      Since the procedure liberates a large amount of chlorine gas, a powerful ventilation system is recommended.
  2. (transitive, military, euphemistic) To acquire from an enemy during wartime, used especially of cities, regions, and other population centers.
  3. (transitive, euphemistic) To acquire from another by theft or force: to steal, to rob.
    We didn't need IDs. We just liberated these beers from the back of the shop.
    • 1969, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Government Operations. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Riots, Civil and Criminal Disorders, page 3796:
      I had proven myself, when I was required to liberate (steal) dynamite, steal cars for robberies, and to perform disciplinary action against party members.
    • 1986, Jack Hemingway, Misadventures of a Fly Fisherman: My Life with and Without Papa, page 158:
      For expedience, he intended to use his talents to liberate a few choice bottles from the wine cellars without going through the difficulty of a formal requisition.
    • 2014, Collin Wilcox, Doctor, Lawyer:
      He was trying to liberate some funds for the revolution from a liquor store, and he got caught. It was his first time out, and he got flat-ass caught.
Synonyms
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Derived terms
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Translations
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Etymology 2

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Borrowed from Latin līberātus, originally used as the past participle of liberate, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.

Adjective

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liberate (not comparable)

  1. (obsolete) liberated
  2. (obsolete, UK, historical, law) allowed, delivered, freed (see Etymology 3).

Etymology 3

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From Middle English liberate (the common first word of such writs), from Medieval Latin līberātum, substantivized from the nominative neuter singular of līberātus, see -ate (noun-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more. Alternatively, from līberāte, the second-person plural imperative of līberō, compare English allocate (“a warrant for the payment of a pension, allowance, debt, etc.”).

Noun

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liberate (plural liberates)

  2. (obsolete, historical, law) A writ issued out of the Chancery for the payment of a pension, debt, the delivery of one's land or goods from a sheriff's custody, the delivery a prisoner put in bail fo appearance or other royal allowance.
    liberate roll ― an account kept of pensions and other allowances made under the great seal
    liberate day ― the day on which liberates were issued

Further reading

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Anagrams

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Italian

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Verb

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liberate

  1. inflection of liberare:
    1. second-person plural present indicative
    2. second-person plural imperative

Anagrams

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Latin

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Verb

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līberāte

  1. second-person plural present active imperative of līberō

Participle

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līberāte

  1. vocative masculine singular of līberātus

Spanish

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Verb

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liberate

  1. second-person singular voseo imperative of liberar combined with te
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