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.
1
Obsolete, Rare Especially of the will: free, independent, unconstrained.
He [God] Adame lent a libre will to follow what he liſt, / And with his holy ſpirit, and grace his choſen dois aſſiſt: [...]1599, Alexander Hume, “Of Gods Benefites Bestowed vpon Man”, in Hymnes, or Sacred Songs, […], Edinburgh: Printed by Robert Walde-graue, […], →OCLC; republished as John Gardiner Kinnear, editor, Hymns and Sacred Songs, […] (Bannatyne Club Publications; 41), Edinburgh: Printed by Ballantyne and Co. [for the Bannatyne Club], 1832, →OCLC, page 10:
2
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences, Software With very few limitations on distribution or the right to access the source code to create improved versions, but not necessarily free of charge.
One more point leads toward Free Software in education: when students get jobs, they prefer to use tools they learned at school in order to minimize extra learning efforts. This fact should lead colleges to teach only those tools not owned by anyone—those that are libre.1999 February, Alessandro Rubini, “Software Libre and Commercial Viability”, in Marjorie Richardson, editor, Linux Journal: The Monthly Magazine of the Linux Community, number 58, Seattle, Wash.: Specialized System Consultants, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 48, column 1:
The great potential of libre software for development and social inclusion has long been emphasized. The cost aspect of it, though it might act as a driver, is only one limited aspect of the benefits of libre software in developing countries, deprived regions, or urban areas. The empowerment of persons and groups to not only use technology, but understand it, at the level and rhythm that fits them, with the resulting ability to become active contributors and to innovate are the essence of libre software.2005, Philippe Aigrain, “Libre Software Policies at the European Level”, in Joseph Feller, Brian Fitzgerald, Scott A. Hissam, Karim R. Lakhani, editors, Perspectives on Free and Open Source Software, Cambridge, Mass.; London: MIT Press, →ISBN, pages 454–455:
2 more examples
The formal definition of Open Access, however, does require re-use rights to enable the article to be re-used in various ways (text-mined, translated into other languages, used in part in other products, etc.), [...]. This is what is known as ‘libre’ Open Access. ‘Libre’ Open Access does not yet constitute the bulk of Open Access literature. In institutional repositories the majority of articles are of the ‘gratis’ type, though a small proportion carry an appropriate (usually Creative Commons) licence and are ‘libre’.2012, Alma Swan, “Section 3. The Importance of Open Access.”, in Policy Guidelines for the Development and Promotion of Open Access (Open Guidelines Series), Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, →ISBN, section 3.2 (Levels of Open Access), page 25, column 2:
Free and open-source software (F/OSS, FOSS) or free/libre/open-source software (FLOSS) is a software that is both a free software and an open source. FOSS is a computer software that is available in source code (open source) form and that can be used, studied, copied, modified, and redistributed without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients have the same rights under which it was obtained (free or libre). Free software, software libre, or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients have the same rights under which it was obtained and that manufacturers of consumer products incorporating free software provide that software as source code.2014, Joshua M. Pearce, “Introduction to Open-source Hardware for Science”, in Open-source Lab: How to Build Your Own Hardware and Reduce Research Costs, Waltham, Mass.; Kidlington, Oxfordshire: Elsevier, →ISBN, section 1.2 (What is Open Source?), pages 1–2:
3
Historical Not enslaved (of a black person in a French- or Spanish-colonized area, especially New Orleans).
For quotations using this term, see Citations:libre.
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.
1
Historical A free (not enslaved) black person in a French- or Spanish-colonized area, especially New Orleans.
For quotations using this term, see Citations:libre.