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I. adjective (~r; ~st) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English frēo; akin to Old High German frī ~, Welsh rhydd, Sanskrit priya own, dear Date: before 12th century 1. having the legal and political rights of a citizen, enjoying civil and political liberty , enjoying political independence or ~dom from outside domination, enjoying personal ~dom ; not subject to the control or domination of another, 2. not determined by anything beyond its own nature or being ; choosing or capable of choosing for itself, determined by the choice of the actor or performer , made, done, or given voluntarily or spontaneously, 3. relieved from or lacking something and especially something unpleasant or burdensome , not bound, confined, or detained by force, 4. having no trade restrictions, not subject to government regulation, not subject to restriction or official control, 5. having no obligations (as to work) or commitments , not taken up with commitments or obligations , having a scope not restricted by qualification , 7. not obstructed, restricted, or impeded , not being used or occupied , not hampered or restricted in its normal operation, 8. not fastened , not confined to a particular position or place , capable of moving or turning in any direction , performed without apparatus , done with artificial aids (as pitons) used only for protection against falling and not for support , 9. not parsimonious , outspoken , availing oneself of something without stint, frank , open , overly familiar or forward in action or attitude, licentious , not costing or charging anything, 11. a. not united with, attached to, combined with, or mixed with something else ; separate , ~standing , chemically uncombined , not permanently attached but able to move about , capable of being used alone as a meaningful linguistic form , 12. not literal or exact , not restricted by or conforming to conventional forms , favorable , not allowing slavery, open to all comers, ~ness noun Synonyms: see: ~ II. transitive verb (~d; ~ing) Date: before 12th century 1. to cause to be ~, to relieve or rid of what restrains, confines, restricts, or embarrasses , disentangle , clear , banish , ~r noun Synonyms: see: ~ III. adverb Date: 1559 in a ~ manner, without charge, with the wind more than six points from dead ahead