free
UK /fɹiː/ · US /fɹi/ adjective, adverb, verb, noun, proper noun
Also a form of three
Forms freer freest frees freeing freed
- adjective (social) Unconstrained. “He was given free rein to do whatever he wanted.”
- adjective Not imprisoned or enslaved. “Free Blacks”
- adjective Generous; liberal. “He's very free with his money.”
- adjective (obsolete) Clear of offence or crime; guiltless; innocent.
- adjective Without obligations. “free time”
- adjective To be enjoyed by anyone freely. “a free school”
- adjective (of a government, country) Upholding individual rights. “the Free World”
- adjective (software) With no or only freedom-preserving limitations on distribution or modification. “OpenOffice is free software.”
- adverb Without needing to pay. “I got this bike free.”
- adverb (obsolete) Freely; willingly.
- verb (transitive) To make free; set at liberty; release.
- verb (transitive) To rid of something that confines or oppresses. [with from]
- verb (transitive, programming) To relinquish (previously allocated memory) to the system.
- noun (soccer) A free transfer.
- noun (hurling) The usual means of restarting play after a foul is committed, where the non-offending team restarts from where the foul was committed.
- proper noun A surname.
- proper noun An unincorporated community in Parish Grove Township, Benton County, Indiana, United States.
Synonyms
unconstrained unfettered unhindered quit nonauthoritarian libre free as in speech free as in freedom free of charge gratis costless feeless free as in beer unbound clear unobstructed loose unfastened unsecured unstapled free people liberate release unloose unloosen rid disembarrass dislodge exempt relieve
Antonyms
constrained restricted bound enslaved imprisoned unfree authoritarian proprietary nonfree see at nonfree blocked obstructed confine obstruct
Etymology
From Middle English fre, from Old English frēo, frēoh, frī, friġ, frīoh (“free”), from Proto-West Germanic *frī, from Proto-Germanic *frijaz (“beloved, not in bondage”), from Proto-Indo-European *priHós (“pleased, loved”), from *preyH- (“to please; to love”). Related to friend.
Germanic cognates include Scots fre (“free”), North Frisian frai, frei, fri, Frii (“free”), Saterland Frisian fräi (“free”), West Frisian frij (“free”), Dutch vrij (“free”), German frei (“free”), Low German free (“free”), Luxembourgish fräi (“free”), Vilamovian frȧj (“free”), Yiddish פֿרײַ (fray, “free”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish fri (“free”), Faroese fríur (“free”), Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍃 (freis, “free”).
Other cognates include Cornish rydh (“free”), Welsh rhydd (“free”), Latin propriō (“to appropriate”), Czech přát (“to wish; to favour”), Polish sprzyjać (“to favour, foster”), Serbo-Croatian прѝјати, prìjati (“to please, taste, suit; to be agreeable, relish”), Slovak priať (“to wish”), Avestan 𐬟𐬭𐬌𐬌𐬀 (friia, “good, pleasant”), Persian فری (fari, “beloved, dear; agreeable, pleasing”), Sanskrit प्रिय (priya, “beloved”).
Germanic and Celtic are the only Indo-European language branches in which the PIE word with the meaning of "dear, beloved" acquired the additional meaning of "free" in the sense of "not in bondage". This was an extension of the idea of "characteristic of those who are dear and beloved", in other words friends and tribe members (in contrast to unfree inhabitants from other tribes and prisoners of war, many of which were among the slaves – compare the Latin use of liberi to mean both "free persons" and "children of a family").
From Middle English freen, freoȝen, from Old English frēon, frēoġan (“to free; make free”), from Proto-West Germanic *frijōn, from Proto-Germanic *frijōną, from Proto-Indo-European *preyH-, and is cognate with German freien, Dutch vrijen, Czech přát, Serbo-Croatian prijati, Polish sprzyjać.
English surname, from Old English freo (“freeborn”).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Exempt from subjection to the will of others; not under restraint, control, or compulsion; able to follow one's own impulses, desires, or inclinations; determining one's own course of action; not dependent; at liberty.
- adjective Not under an arbitrary or despotic government; subject only to fixed laws regularly and fairly administered, and defended by them from encroachments upon natural or acquired rights; enjoying political liberty.
- adverb Freely; willingly. [Obs.]
- adverb Without charge; as, children admitted free.
Etymology [OE. fre, freo, AS. freó, fri; akin to D. vrij, OS. & OHG. fri, G. frei, Icel. fri, Sw. & Dan. fri, Goth. freis, and also to Skr. prija beloved, dear, fr. pri to love, Goth. frij. Cf. Affray, Belfry, Friday, Friend, Frith inclosure.]
Etymology [OE. freen, freoien, AS. freógan. See Free, a.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “free”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details