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lib·er·tine

(lĭbər-tēn′)

1. One who acts without moral restraint; a dissolute person.

2. One who defies established religious precepts; a freethinker.

adj.

Morally unrestrained; dissolute.

[Middle English, freedman, from Latin lībertīnus, from lībertus, from līber, free; see leudh- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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