*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of lib

Abbreviation for various words beginning in lib-.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

liberal · liberation · library · libertarian

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Abbreviation for various words beginning in lib-.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "liberal",
        "liberation",
        "library",
        "libertarian"
      ],
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        "countable",
        "uncountable"
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A potion; magic potion; charm; concoction.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Inherited from Middle English libbe, from Old English lybb, lyb (“medicine, drug, potion, poison, charm”), from Proto-West Germanic *lubi, from Proto-Germanic *lubją (“wort, herb, drug, poison”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ-, *lewb- (“to peel, break, damage”), from Proto-Indo-European *lew- (“to cut, remove, prune, separate”). Cognate with German Luppe, Lüppe (“salve, ointment, plant juice, medicine, magic”), Icelandic lyf (“medicine, drug”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionlibbeenm
  • Inherited-form mentionlybbang
  • Inherited-form mention*lubigmw-pro
  • Inherited-form mention*lubjągem-pro
  • Derivation mention*lewbʰ-ine-pro
  • Derivation mention*lew-ine-pro
  • Cognate mentionLuppede
  • Cognate mentionlyfis
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "yesno",
      "args": {
        "1": "",
        "2": "i",
        "3": "I"
      },
      "expansion": "I"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "Inherited"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "libbe",
        "4": "",
        "5": "",
        "lit": "",
        "pos": "",
        "tr": "",
        "ts": "",
        "id": "",
        "sc": "",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "nocat": "",
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      },
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    },
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "libbe"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited from Middle English libbe"
    },
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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "lybb"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English lybb"
    },
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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*lubi"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *lubi"
    },
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      "name": "inh",
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        "4": "",
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      },
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    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*lewbʰ-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ-"
    },
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      "name": "der",
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        "1": "en",
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      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Luppe"
      },
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    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "lyf",
        "3": "",
        "4": "medicine, drug"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic lyf (“medicine, drug”)"
    }
  ],
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    ],
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      "lybb",
      "lybb#Old_English"
    ],
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      "lyb",
      "lyb#Old_English"
    ],
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      "*lubi",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/lubi"
    ],
    [
      "*lubją",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/lubją"
    ],
    [
      "*lewbʰ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/lewbʰ-"
    ],
    [
      "*lewb-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/lewb-"
    ],
    [
      "*lew-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/lew-"
    ],
    [
      "Luppe",
      "Luppe#German"
    ],
    [
      "Lüppe",
      "Lüppe#German"
    ],
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      "lyf",
      "lyf#Icelandic"
    ]
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
verb

To geld; castrate; emasculate (usually said of animals).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English *libben (suggested by libbyng (“gelding”), lybbere (“gelder”)), related to Dutch lubben (“to castrate, emasculate”), Dutch libbe (“a steer”), lubbert (“a eunuch”). Further relation uncertain. Possibly related to Old English *lybban (“to doctor”), from Proto-West Germanic *lubbjan; or perhaps related to Old English lappa, læppa (“lappet, piece, section, lobe, portion, district”). More at lop.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "*libben"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English *libben"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "libbe",
        "3": "",
        "4": "a steer"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch libbe (“a steer”)"
    },
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        "1": "ang",
        "2": "*lybban",
        "3": "",
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      },
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    },
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    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "lappa"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English lappa"
    }
  ],
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    ],
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      "libbyng",
      "libbyng#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "lybbere",
      "lybbere#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "lubben",
      "lubben#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
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      "libbe",
      "libbe#Dutch"
    ],
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      "lubbert",
      "lubbert#Dutch"
    ],
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    ],
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      "*lubbjan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/lubbjan"
    ],
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      "lappa",
      "lappa#Old_English"
    ],
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      "læppa#Old_English"
    ],
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      "lop",
      "lop#English"
    ]
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for lib →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bGli