different between generous vs free

English

Etymology

From Middle French genereux, and its source, Latin gener?sus (“of noble birth”), from genus (“race, stock”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /?d??n(?)??s/

Adjective

generous (comparative more generous, superlative most generous)

1. Noble in behaviour or actions; principled, not petty; kind, magnanimous. [from 16th c.]

   Thank you for your generous words.

2. Willing to give and share unsparingly; showing a readiness to give more (especially money) than is expected or needed. [from 17th c.]

   She's been extremely generous with her winnings.

3. Large, more than ample, copious. [from 17th c.]

   Add a generous helping of mayonnaise.

4. Invigorating in its nature.

   a generous wine

5. (obsolete) Of noble birth. [16th-19th c.]

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:generous

Related terms

• generosity

Translations

English

Etymology

From Middle English free, fre, freo, from Old English fr?o (“free”), from Proto-West Germanic *fr?, from Proto-Germanic *frijaz (“beloved, not in bondage”), from Proto-Indo-European *priHós (“dear, beloved”), from *preyH- (“to love, please”). Related to friend. Cognate with West Frisian frij (“free”), Dutch vrij (“free”), Low German free (“free”), German frei (“free”), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian fri (“free”), Sanskrit ????? (priyá).

Germanic and Celtic are the only Indo-European language branches in which the PIE word with the meaning of "dear, beloved" acquired the additional meaning of "free" in the sense of "not in bondage". This was an extension of the idea of "characteristic of those who are dear and beloved", in other words friends and tribe members (in contrast to unfree inhabitants from other tribes and prisoners of war, many of which were among the slaves – compare the Latin use of liberi to mean both "free persons" and "children of a family").

The verb comes from Middle English freen, freo?en, from Old English fr?on, fr?o?an (“to free; make free”), from Proto-West Germanic *frij?n, from Proto-Germanic *frij?n?, from Proto-Indo-European *preyH-.

Pronunciation

• enPR: fr?, IPA^(key): /f?i?/, [f??i?]
• Rhymes: -i?
• Homophone: three (with th-fronting)

Adjective

free (comparative freer, superlative freest)

1. (social) Unconstrained.
   • 1610-11?, Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act V, scene i:

     Quickly, spirit! / Thou shalt ere long be free.

   Synonyms: unconstrained, unfettered, unhindered

   Antonyms: constrained, restricted

   1. Not imprisoned or enslaved.

      Antonyms: bound, enslaved, imprisoned

   2. Unconstrained by timidity or distrust

      Synonyms: unreserved, frank, communicative
   3. Generous; liberal.

   4. (obsolete) Clear of offence or crime; guiltless; innocent.
   5. Without obligations.

   6. Thrown open, or made accessible, to all; to be enjoyed without limitations; unrestricted; not obstructed, engrossed, or appropriated; open; said of a thing to be possessed or enjoyed.
   7. Not arbitrary or despotic; assuring liberty; defending individual rights against encroachment by any person or class; instituted by a free people; said of a government, institutions, etc.

   8. (software) With no or only freedom-preserving limitations on distribution or modification.

      Synonym: libre

      Antonym: proprietary

   9. (software) Intended for release, as opposed to a checked version.
2. Obtainable without any payment.

   Synonyms: free of charge, gratis

   1. (by extension, chiefly advertising slang) complimentary

3. (abstract) Unconstrained.
   1. (mathematics) Unconstrained by relators.

   2. (mathematics, logic) Unconstrained by quantifiers.

      Antonym: bound

   3. (programming) Unconstrained of identifiers, not bound.

      Synonym: unbound

      Antonym: bound

   4. (linguistics) (of a morpheme) That can be used by itself, unattached to another morpheme.
4. (physical) Unconstrained.
   1. Unobstructed, without blockages.

      Synonyms: clear, unobstructed

      Antonyms: blocked, obstructed

   2. Unattached or uncombined.

      Synonyms: loose, unfastened; see also Thesaurus:loose

   3. Not currently in use; not taken; unoccupied.

   4. (botany, mycology) Not attached; loose.
5. Without; not containing (what is specified); exempt; clear; liberated.

   Synonym: without

6. (dated) Ready; eager; acting without spurring or whipping; spirited.

7. (dated) Invested with a particular freedom or franchise; enjoying certain immunities or privileges; admitted to special rights; followed by of.
8. (Britain, law, obsolete) Certain or honourable; the opposite of base.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Burrill to this entry?)

9. (law) Privileged or individual; the opposite of common.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Burrill to this entry?)

Antonyms

• unfree

Hyponyms

• -free

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Adverb

free (comparative more free, superlative most free)

1. Without needing to pay.

   Synonyms: for free, for nothing

2. (obsolete) Freely; willingly.

Translations

Verb

free (third-person singular simple present frees, present participle freeing, simple past and past participle freed)

1. (transitive) To make free; set at liberty; release.
2. (transitive) To rid of something that confines or oppresses.
   • 1885, Richard F. Burton, The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Night 564:

     Then I walked about, till I found on the further side, a great river of sweet water, running with a strong current; whereupon I called to mind the boat-raft I had made aforetime and said to myself, "Needs must I make another; haply I may free me from this strait. If I escape, I have my desire and I vow to Allah Almighty to forswear travel; and if I perish I shall be at peace and shall rest from toil and moil."

Derived terms

• befree

Synonyms

• befree
• emancipate
• let loose
• liberate
• manumit
• release
• unchain
• unfetter
• unshackle

Translations

Noun

free (plural frees)

1. (Australian rules football, Gaelic football) Abbreviation of free kick.
   • 2006, [1]:

     Whether deserved or not, the free gave Cresswell the chance to cover himself in glory with a shot on goal after the siren.

2. free transfer
3. (hurling) The usual means of restarting play after a foul is committed, where the non-offending team restarts from where the foul was committed.
4. (swimming) the freestyle stroke

Translations

References

Anagrams

• feer, fere, reef

Galician

Verb

free

1. first-person singular present subjunctive of frear
2. third-person singular present subjunctive of frear

Low German

Alternative forms

• frie (more common)

Etymology

From Middle Low German vrîe, variant of vrî, from Old Saxon fr?, from Proto-Germanic *frijaz, from Proto-Indo-European *prey (“new”). Compare Dutch vrij, West Frisian frij, English free, German frei.

Adjective

free (comparative fre'er, superlative freest)

1. (rather rare) free

Declension

Derived terms

• Freeheit