Word of the Day

: July 13, 2007

libertine

noun LIB-er-teen

What It Means

1 : a freethinker especially in religious matters

2 : a person who is unrestrained by convention or morality; specifically : one leading a dissolute life

libertine in Context

The writer was portrayed in the film as a libertine who relied heavily on the vices of drinking and gambling.

Did You Know?

The word "libertine," which originally meant "freedman" when it appeared in 14th-century English, traces to the Latin "libertus," a term that in Roman antiquity identified a slave who had been set free. By the late 1500s, "libertine" had been extended to religious and secular freethinkers; Shakespeare used it to refer to anyone who follows his or her own inclinations. By 1600, though, the term had come to imply that an individual was a little too unrestrained, especially in moral situations. And yes, the Latin root of "libertine" is "liber," the ultimate source of our word "liberty."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.