Free

Part of speech: adjective, adverb

Pronunciation: /fɹiː/

Definitions

1. Not controlled, confined, or imprisoned; able to act or move without restriction or cost
2. Not obligated by rules, constraints, or payment
3. capable of existing or acting independently without hindrance or expense

Etymology: Free began as a word for being loved. Its Proto-Indo-European ancestor meant "to please" or "to love", and in the Germanic languages that root produced the adjective for "beloved" or "dear". The sense of not being in bondage grew from that. Those who were dear and beloved were the people of one's own group, friends and tribe members, as opposed to outsiders, prisoners of war and the enslaved. Germanic and Celtic are the only Indo-European branches where the root took on this meaning of liberty. The word is related to "friend", which comes from the same root. Old English "frēo" and its relatives developed into Middle English "fre" and then the modern form, with the sense of being unconstrained or unpaid following naturally from that older idea of belonging to the circle of those who are cherished.

Synonyms: unrestricted, unencumbered, liberated, available, complimentary

Antonyms: restricted, bound, enslaved, costly, charged