Liberty Is the Formal Twin of Freedom
Liberty is the state of being free. English keeps two words for the idea, and liberty is the one that turns up in constitutions.
Liberty means freedom from control or confinement. English has two words because it has two ancestries: *freedom* came from Old English, *liberty* from Latin through French. The Latin one carries the formal weight, which is why statues, charters and courts prefer it.
- Freedom from control. *Individual liberty.*
- Freedom from imprisonment. *Released and at liberty.*
- Take liberties — behave too freely. *He took liberties with the text.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | liberty | Civil liberty. |
| Plural | liberties | Civil liberties. |
| Adjective | liberal | A liberal approach. |
| Verb | liberate | Liberate the town. |
| Related | freedom | Freedom of speech. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The court balanced liberty against public safety.Legal register.
- He is at liberty to refuse.At liberty means free to.
- She took liberties with the translation.Meaning too much freedom.
Liberty in phrases
- Civil liberties — rights protected against state interference
- At liberty — free, especially out of custody
- Take the liberty — do something without asking
- Liberty of conscience — freedom of belief
- Statue of Liberty — a gift from France, dedicated in 1886
From Old French *liberte*, from Latin *libertas*, from *liber*, free. The same *liber* gives *liberal*, *liberate* and *libertine*.
Liberty or freedom?
They overlap almost completely. Liberty is the formal legal word; freedom is the everyday one.
What does *take the liberty of* mean?
To do something on your own initiative without asking permission, usually said politely after the fact.