Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

libre

/ˈlibɹə/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.86 in modern English

Syllables
li-bre
IPA
/ˈlibɹə/
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Especially of the will: free, independent, unconstrained.

Obsolete

adj

Not enslaved (of a black person in a French- or Spanish-colonized area, especially New Orleans).

noun

A free (not enslaved) black person in a French- or Spanish-colonized area, especially New Orleans.

Example Sentences

Etymology

The obsolete “unconstrained” sense is borrowed from French libre (“at liberty”; “free” as in “clear”, “vacant”, “without obligation”), from Latin līber (“free, unrestricted”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lewdʰ- (“people”), whence obsolete English lede (“person(s)”), English leud, and German Leute. The software and the unenslaved senses are either borrowed from the above French, or from its Spanish cognate libre, of the same meaning and Latin etymon.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *h₁lewdʰ-, libre, līber

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈlibɹə/
  • British English: /ˈliːbɹə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Homonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce libre?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈlibɹə/.
What does libre mean?
Especially of the will: free, independent, unconstrained.
Where does libre come from?
It is traced to French.

How to pronounce libre

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “libre”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈlibɹə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “libre”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “libre” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.