libet
Latin
Etymology 1
From Proto-Italic *luβēt, from Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ-. Cognate with English love, German lieben, Liebe.
The unrounding of [u] to [i] is a regular sound change between /l/ and a labial consonant; see also līber (“free”), liber (“book”), and clipeus.
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈli.bet/, [ˈlɪ.bɛt]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈli.bet/, [ˈliː.bet]
Verb
libet (present infinitive libēre, perfect active libuit); second conjugation, impersonal
- (with dative) it is pleasing; it is agreeable.
- 254-184 BCE, Plautus, Asinaria
- Dīc quod libet. — "Say what you will." (literally: "Say what is pleasing.")
- 254-184 BCE, Plautus, Asinaria
Usage notes
Designates pleasure in something desired, while placeō in something recognised as right.
Inflection
| Conjugation of libet (second conjugation, mostly impersonal, active only) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| indicative | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| active | present | — | — | libet | — | — | — |
| imperfect | — | — | libēbat | — | — | — | |
| future | — | — | libēbit | — | — | — | |
| perfect | — | — | libuit, libitum est | — | — | — | |
| pluperfect | — | — | libuerat, libitum erat | — | — | — | |
| future perfect | — | — | libuerit, libitum erit | — | — | — | |
| subjunctive | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| active | present | — | — | libeat | — | — | — |
| imperfect | — | — | libēret | — | — | — | |
| perfect | — | — | libuerit, libitum sit | — | — | — | |
| pluperfect | — | — | libuisset, libitum esset | — | — | libuissent | |
| non-finite forms | active | passive | |||||
| present | perfect | future | present | perfect | future | ||
| infinitives | libēre | libuisse, libitum esse | — | — | — | — | |
| participles | libēns | libitum | — | — | — | — | |
Alternative forms
- lubet
Derived terms
- libēns
- libenter
- quīlibet
- quōlibet
Descendants
- English: quodlibet
Etymology 2
Inflected form of lībō (“taste, sip”).
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈliː.bet/, [ˈliː.bɛt]
Verb
lībet
- third-person singular present active subjunctive of lībō
References
- libet in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- libet in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- libet in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
Norman
Noun
libet m (plural libets)
- (Jersey, fishing) hoop net