liberty

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. The condition of being free from restriction or control.
2. n. The right and power to act, believe, or express oneself in a manner of one's own choosing.
3. n. The condition of being physically and legally free from confinement, servitude, or forced labor. See Synonyms at freedom.
4. n. Freedom from unjust or undue governmental control.
5. n. A right or immunity to engage in certain actions without control or interference: the liberties protected by the Bill of Rights.
6. n. A breach or overstepping of propriety or social convention. Often used in the plural.
7. n. A statement, attitude, or action not warranted by conditions or actualities: a historical novel that takes liberties with chronology.
8. n. An unwarranted risk; a chance: took foolish liberties on the ski slopes.
9. n. A period, usually short, during which a sailor is authorized to go ashore.
10. idiom. at liberty Not in confinement or under constraint; free.
11. idiom. at liberty Not employed, occupied, or in use.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The state of being free, or exempt from external restraint or constraint, physical or moral; freedom; especially, exemption from opposition or irksome restraint of any kind.
2. n. Specifically Freedom of the will; the power of election or free choice, undetermined by any necessity; exemption from internal compulsion or restraint in willing or volition.
3. n. The condition of being exempt, as a community or an individual, from foreign or arbitrary political control; a condition of political self-government. Civil liberty implies the subjection of the individual members of a community to laws imposed by the community as a whole; but it does not imply the assent of each individual to these laws. An individual has civil liberty if he is a member of a community which possesses such liberty, and is in the enjoyment of the rights which the laws of the community guarantee him.
4. n. In law, freedom from all restraints except such as the lawful rights of others prescribe.—
5. n. Permission granted, as by a superior, to do something that one might not otherwise do; leave; specifically, permission granted to enlisted men in the navy to go on shore. Compare liberty-man.
6. n. Immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant; privilege; exemption; franchise: as, the liberties of the commercial cities of Europe.
7. n. A place or district within which certain special privileges may be exercised; the limits within which freedom is enjoyed by those entitled to it; a place of exclusive jurisdiction: generally in the plural: as, the liberties of a prison (the limits within which prisoners are free to move); within the city liberty; the Northern Liberties (a part of Philadelphia so named because originally consisting of districts having certain specific privileges).
8. n. Action or speech not warranted by custom or propriety; freedom not specially granted; freedom of action or speech beyond the ordinary bounds of civility or decorum: as, may I take the liberty of calling on you?
9. n. In the manège, a curve or arch in a horse's bit affording room for the tongue.
10. n. With freedom or power (to do something): as, he was not at liberty to disclose the secret.
11. n. Disengaged; not in use.
12. n. Synonyms Independence, etc. (see freedom); License, etc. (see leave, n.).

Wiktionary

1. n. The condition of being free from control or restrictions.
2. n. The condition of being free from imprisonment, slavery or forced labour.
3. n. The condition of being free to act, believe or express oneself as one chooses.
4. n. Freedom from excessive government control.
5. n. A short period when a sailor is allowed ashore.
6. n. A breach of social convention (often liberties).
7. n. A local government unit in medieval England – see liberty.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The state of a free person; exemption from subjection to the will of another claiming ownership of the person or services; freedom; -- opposed to slavery, serfdom, bondage, or subjection.
2. n. Freedom from imprisonment, bonds, or other restraint upon locomotion.
3. n. A privilege conferred by a superior power; permission granted; leave.
4. n. Privilege; exemption; franchise; immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant.
5. n. engraving The place within which certain immunities are enjoyed, or jurisdiction is exercised.
6. n. A certain amount of freedom; permission to go freely within certain limits; also, the place or limits within which such freedom is exercised.
7. n. A privilege or license in violation of the laws of etiquette or propriety.
8. n. The power of choice; freedom from necessity; freedom from compulsion or constraint in willing.
9. n. (Manege) A curve or arch in a bit to afford room for the tongue of the horse.
10. n. (Naut.) Leave of absence; permission to go on shore.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. freedom of choice
2. n. leave granted to a sailor or naval officer
3. n. personal freedom from servitude or confinement or oppression
4. n. immunity from arbitrary exercise of authority: political independence
5. n. an act of undue intimacy