LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivethird-declension two-termination adjective

līberālis

līberālis (neuter līberāle, comparative līberālior, superlative līberālissimus, adverb līberāliter)
Classical[liː.bɛˈraː.lɪs]Ecclesiastical[li.beˈraː.lis]

Meaning

  1. relationaltwo terminationfreedom
  2. two terminationdignified, honorable, befitting a freedman
  3. two terminationgenerous, liberal, bountiful, ample

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Largus · Benignus · Liberalis · Munificus

Largus means any one who makes a rich present, to whomever he makes it, and from whatever motive, in opp. to parcus. Ter. Heaut. iii. 1, 31; whereas benignus, liberalis, and munificus, denote virtuous qualities in the giver. The benignus follows a pure impulse of humanity, love towards his fellow men; the liberalis, a noble pride, or feeling of self-respect; the munificus, a princely feeling, or, at any rate, a feeling of laudable ambition. Benignitas gives richly, because it has no wish to possess and enjoy alone, like goodness; liberalitas gives as much as, and not less than, a man of noble sentiment believes suitable to his own rank and to another’s merits, without scrupulous mercantile calculation, like a gentlemanly spirit; munificentia gives rather too much than too little, from the pleasure of making people happy, and causing an agreeable surprise, like generosity. (iv. 146.)

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativelīberālislīberālislīberāle
genitivelīberālislīberālislīberālis
dativelīberālīlīberālīlīberālī
accusativelīberālemlīberālemlīberāle
ablativelīberālīlīberālīlīberālī
vocativelīberālislīberālislīberāle
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativelīberālēslīberālēslīberālia
genitivelīberāliumlīberāliumlīberālium
dativelīberālibuslīberālibuslīberālibus
accusativelīberālīs
līberālēs		līberālīs
līberālēs		līberālia
ablativelīberālibuslīberālibuslīberālibus
vocativelīberālēslīberālēslīberālia

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

liberaliter, ingenue, bene educari
to receive a liberal education.
sumptus liberales (Off. 2. 12. 42)
munificence.
artium (liberalium) studium, or simply studium
a taste for the fine arts.
optima studia, bonae, optimae, liberales, ingenuae artes, disciplinae
the sciences; the fine arts.

lībĕrālis, e, adj. 1. liber,
I. of or belonging to freedom, relating to the freeborn condition of a man.
I. Lit.: liberalis causa or liberale judicium, a suit concerning a person's freedom, v. Dig. 40, 12, 1 sqq.; Paul. Sent. 5, 1, 1 sqq.: si quisquam hanc liberali caussa manu adsereret, Plaut. Curc. 4, 2, 4; cf. 5, 2, 68: manu eas adserat liberali causa, id. Poen. 4, 2, 84: nam ego liberali illam assero causa manu, I formally assert that she is freeborn, Ter. Ad. 2, 1, 40: judicium, Quint. 6, 3, 32: liberale conjugium, a marriage between persons of free condition, Ter. And. 3, 3, 29.—Pleon.: ego te hoc triduom numquam sinam in domo esse, quin ego te liberalem liberem, Plaut. Curc. 1, 3, 53.—
II. Transf., befitting a freeman, gentlemanly, noble, noble-minded, honorable, ingenuous, gracious, kind (syn.: generosus, ingenuus).
A. In gen.: ingenium, Plaut. Capt. 2, 3, 59; id. Ep. 1, 1, 41: artes liberales, befitting a freeman, Cic. Inv. 1, 25, 35; cf.: liberalia studia accipimus, quae Graeci ἐλευθέρια μαθήματα appellant; rhetores continebuntur, grammatici, geometrae, Dig. 50, 13, 1: hae artes, quibus liberales doctrinae atque ingenuae continerentur, geometria, musica, litterarum cognitio et poëtarum, etc., Cic. de Or. 3, 32, 127; cf.: omnis liberalis et digna homine nobili doctrina, id. Ac. 2, 1, 1: de artificiis et quaestibus, qui liberales habendi, qui sordidi sint, id. Off. 1, 42, 150: liberalissima studia, id. Arch. 3, 4; id. Cael. 21 52; id. Rep. 1, 5, 9: spes liberalioris fortunae, of a higher, more respectable station, Liv. 22, 26: responsum, kind, gracious, Cic. Att. 3, 15, 4; so, liberalibus verbis permulceri, Sall. Fragm. ap. Prisc. p. 871 P.—
B. In partic.
1. Bountiful, generous, munificent, liberal (syn. munificus): liberales (sunt), qui suis facultatibus aut captos a praedonibus redimunt, aut aes alienum suscipiunt amicorum, etc., Cic. Off. 2, 16, 56: benefici liberalesque, id. Lael. 9, 31; cf.: liberalissimi et beneficentissimi, id. ib. 14, 51: liberalissimus munificentissimusque, id. Rosc. Com. 8, 22: virtus munifica et liberalis, id. Rep. 3, 8, 12: largus, beneficus, liberalis, id. Deiot. 9, 26.—*
(b). With gen.: laudis avidi, pecuniae liberales erant, Sall. C. 7, 6.—
(g). With in and acc.: in omne genus hominum liberalissimus, Suet. Vesp. 7. —
b. Of things, plentiful, copious, abundant: largum et liberale viaticum, Cic. Fl. 6, 14: potio, Cels. 3, 6: liberalius alimentum, id. 8, 10, 7.—
2. Noble, engaging, beautiful (ante-class.): illarum altera pulcer est et liberalis, Plaut. Mil. 1, 1, 60: lepidā et liberali formast, id. ib. 4, 1, 20; id. Ep. 5, 1, 41; id. Pers. 1, 3, 50: species, id. ib. 4, 3, 76; cf.: liberales dicuntur non solum benigni, sed etiam ingenuae formae homines, Paul. ex Fest. p. 121 Müll.—Hence, adv.: lībĕrālĭter, in a manner befitting a freeman, nobly, ingenuously, kindly, courteously, graciously.
1. In gen.: homo liberaliter educatus, Cic. Fin. 3, 17, 57: eruditi, id. Tusc. 2, 2, 6: vivere, id. Lael. 23, 86: servire, i. e. properly, Ter. And. 1, 1, 11: respondere, kindly, courteously, Caes. B. G. 4, 18: oratione aliquem prosequi, id. ib. 2, 5.—
2. In partic., bountifully, profusely, generously, liberally: benigne ac liberaliter, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 85, § 196: large et liberaliter, id. ib. 2, 3, 88, § 204: instructus, Caes. B. C. 3, 61.—Comp.: vivo paulo liberalius, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 6, 3: nec potui accipi liberalius, id. Att. 16, 6, 1: ille (sal) in cibis paulo liberalius aspersus, Quint. 6, 3, 19: ubi liberalius malos odimus, more abundantly, more heartily, Plin. Pan. 68, 7.—Sup.: dotem largiri liberalissime, App. M. 10, p. 250, 13: liberalissime polliceri, Cic. Att. 5, 13, 2.
Lībĕrālis, e,
I. adj., of or belonging to Liber or Bacchus: ludi, a festival in honor of Bacchus, = Liberalia (v. infra), Naev. ap. Paul. ex Fest. p. 116 Müll.—Hence, subst.: Lībĕrālĭa, ĭum, n., a festival in honor of Liber, celebrated on the 17th of March, the day on which youths received the manly toga, Ov. F. 3, 713: Liberalium dies, a pontificibus agonium martiale appellatur, Macr. S. 1, 4, § 15: sacra, id. ib. 1, 18, § 22; Calend. Maff. ap. Inscr. Orell. II. p. 411: Liberalia tu accusas, Cic. Att. 14, 10, 1: Liberalibus litteras accepi tuas, id. Fam. 12, 25, 1.—Called also: ludi Liberales: Liberalia Liberi festa, quae apud Graecos dicuntur Διονύσια. Libera lingua loquemur ludis Liberalibus, Naev. ap. Paul. ex Fest. p. 116 Müll.; Com. Rel. v. 113 Rib.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁lewdʰ-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁léwdʰeros
  3. Proto-Italic*louðeros
  4. Old Latinloeber
  5. Latinlīberālis

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin līberālis From līber + -ālis.

Descendants
  • Catalanliberal
  • Germanliberal
  • Italianliberale
  • Frenchlibéralfrom Old French liberal
  • Englishliberalfrom Old French liberal
  • Portugueseliberal
  • Romanianliberal
  • Spanishliberal
  • Dutchliberaal
  • Esperantoliberala

In English words that came into English from līberālis

  • liberallīberālis
  • illiberalilliberalis
  • liberalitylīberālitās

Quick answers

What does līberālis mean in Latin?
līberālis, a adjective, means “freedom; dignified, honorable, befitting a freedman; generous, liberal, bountiful, ample”.
How do you pronounce līberālis?
In classical Latin, [liː.bɛˈraː.lɪs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [li.beˈraː.lis].
Where does līberālis come from?
Proto-Indo-European *h₁lewdʰ- → Proto-Indo-European *h₁léwdʰeros → Proto-Italic *louðeros → Old Latin loeber → Latin līberālis.
Which English words come from līberālis?
English words that go back to Latin līberālis include liberal, illiberal and liberality.