*free*

n. [ Arab. 'ifrīt. ] (Moham. Myth.) A powerful evil jinnee, demon, or monstrous giant. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. Free of trouble and worry and care; as, the carefree joys of childhood; carefree millionaires, untroubled financially.
Syn. -- happy, lighthearted, unworried. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. nonchalant in a cheerful manner.
Syn. -- breezy, airy. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

3. cheerfully irresponsible; as, carefree with his money. Opposite of careful.
Syn. -- devil-may-care, happy-go-lucky, harum-scarum, slaphappy. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

4. same as unconcerned. Opposite of concerned.
Syn. -- blithe. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. See Afrit. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To set free. [ Obs. ] “The enfreed Antenor.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To set free. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To freeze; to congeal. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Thou hast enfrozened her disdainful breast. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Free from the power of love. “In maiden meditation, fancy-free.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. containing no fat; -- of foods. Opposite of fat-containing.
Syn. -- fatless, nonfat. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

a. [ Compar. Freer superl. Freest ] [ OE. fre, freo, AS. freó, frī; akin to D. vrij, OS. & OHG. frī, G. frei, Icel. frī, Sw. & Dan. fri, Goth. freis, and also to Skr. prija beloved, dear, fr. prī to love, Goth. frijōn. Cf. Affray, Belfry, Friday, Friend, Frith inclosure. ] 1. Exempt from subjection to the will of others; not under restraint, control, or compulsion; able to follow one's own impulses, desires, or inclinations; determining one's own course of action; not dependent; at liberty. [ 1913 Webster ]

That which has the power, or not the power, to operate, is that alone which is or is not free. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Not under an arbitrary or despotic government; subject only to fixed laws regularly and fairly administered, and defended by them from encroachments upon natural or acquired rights; enjoying political liberty. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Liberated, by arriving at a certain age, from the control of parents, guardian, or master. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Not confined or imprisoned; released from arrest; liberated; at liberty to go. [ 1913 Webster ]

Set an unhappy prisoner free. Prior. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Not subjected to the laws of physical necessity; capable of voluntary activity; endowed with moral liberty; -- said of the will. [ 1913 Webster ]

Not free, what proof could they have given sincere
Of true allegiance, constant faith, or love. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Clear of offense or crime; guiltless; innocent. [ 1913 Webster ]

My hands are guilty, but my heart is free. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. Unconstrained by timidity or distrust; unreserved; ingenuous; frank; familiar; communicative. [ 1913 Webster ]

He was free only with a few. Milward. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. Unrestrained; immoderate; lavish; licentious; -- used in a bad sense. [ 1913 Webster ]

The critics have been very free in their censures. Felton. [ 1913 Webster ]

A man may live a free life as to wine or women. Shelley. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. Not close or parsimonious; liberal; open-handed; lavish; as, free with his money. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. Exempt; clear; released; liberated; not encumbered or troubled with; as, free from pain; free from a burden; -- followed by from, or, rarely, by of. [ 1913 Webster ]

Princes declaring themselves free from the obligations of their treaties. Bp. Burnet. [ 1913 Webster ]

11. Characteristic of one acting without restraint; charming; easy. [ 1913 Webster ]

12. Ready; eager; acting without spurring or whipping; spirited; as, a free horse. [ 1913 Webster ]

13. Invested with a particular freedom or franchise; enjoying certain immunities or privileges; admitted to special rights; -- followed by of. [ 1913 Webster ]

He therefore makes all birds, of every sect,
Free of his farm. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

14. 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; as, a free school. [ 1913 Webster ]

Why, sir, I pray, are not the streets as free
For me as for you? Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

15. Not gained by importunity or purchase; gratuitous; spontaneous; as, free admission; a free gift. [ 1913 Webster ]

16. 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

17. (O. Eng. Law) Certain or honorable; the opposite of base; as, free service; free socage. Burrill. [ 1913 Webster ]

18. (Law) Privileged or individual; the opposite of common; as, a free fishery; a free warren. Burrill. [ 1913 Webster ]

19. Not united or combined with anything else; separated; dissevered; unattached; at liberty to escape; as, free carbonic acid gas; free cells. [ 1913 Webster ]

Free agency, the capacity or power of choosing or acting freely, or without necessity or constraint upon the will. --
Free bench (Eng. Law), a widow's right in the copyhold lands of her husband, corresponding to dower in freeholds. --
Free board (Naut.), a vessel's side between water line and gunwale. --
Free bond (Chem.), an unsaturated or unemployed unit, or bond, of affinity or valence, of an atom or radical. --
Free-borough men (O.Eng. Law). See Friborg. --
Free chapel (Eccles.), a chapel not subject to the jurisdiction of the ordinary, having been founded by the king or by a subject specially authorized. [ Eng. ] Bouvier. --
Free charge (Elec.), a charge of electricity in the free or statical condition; free electricity. --
Free church. (a) A church whose sittings are for all and without charge. (b) An ecclesiastical body that left the Church of Scotland, in 1843, to be free from control by the government in spiritual matters. --
Free city, or
Free town, a city or town independent in its government and franchises, as formerly those of the Hanseatic league. --
Free cost, freedom from charges or expenses. South. --
Free and easy, unconventional; unrestrained; regardless of formalities. [ Colloq. ] “Sal and her free and easy ways.” W. Black. --
Free goods, goods admitted into a country free of duty. --
Free labor, the labor of freemen, as distinguished from that of slaves. --
Free port. (Com.) (a) A port where goods may be received and shipped free of custom duty. (b) A port where goods of all kinds are received from ships of all nations at equal rates of duty. --
Free public house, in England, a tavern not belonging to a brewer, so that the landlord is free to brew his own beer or purchase where he chooses. Simmonds. --
Free school. (a) A school to which pupils are admitted without discrimination and on an equal footing. (b) A school supported by general taxation, by endowmants, etc., where pupils pay nothing for tuition; a public school. --
Free services (O.Eng. Law), such feudal services as were not unbecoming the character of a soldier or a freemen to perform; as, to serve under his lord in war, to pay a sum of money, etc. Burrill. --
Free ships, ships of neutral nations, which in time of war are free from capture even though carrying enemy's goods. --
Free socage (O.Eng. Law), a feudal tenure held by certain services which, though honorable, were not military. Abbott. --
Free States, those of the United States before the Civil War, in which slavery had ceased to exist, or had never existed. --
Free stuff (Carp.), timber free from knots; clear stuff. --
Free thought, that which is thought independently of the authority of others. --
Free trade, commerce unrestricted by duties or tariff regulations. --
Free trader, one who believes in free trade. --
To make free with, to take liberties with; to help one's self to. [ Colloq. ] --
To sail free (Naut.), to sail with the yards not braced in as sharp as when sailing closehauled, or close to the wind. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. 1. Freely; willingly. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

I as free forgive you
As I would be forgiven. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Without charge; as, children admitted free. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Freed p. pr. & vb. n. Freeing. ] [ OE. freen, freoien, AS. freógan. See Free, a. ] 1. To make free; to set at liberty; to rid of that which confines, limits, embarrasses, oppresses, etc.; to release; to disengage; to clear; -- followed by from, and sometimes by off; as, to free a captive or a slave; to be freed of these inconveniences. Clarendon. [ 1913 Webster ]

Our land is from the rage of tigers freed. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

Arise, . . . free thy people from their yoke. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To remove, as something that confines or bars; to relieve from the constraint of. [ 1913 Webster ]

This master key
Frees every lock, and leads us to his person. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To frank. [ Obs. ] Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. unconstrained and informal; as, an informal free-and-easy manner. Opposite of stiff, starchy, formal.
Syn. -- casual. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

2. lacking normal concern for propriety.
Syn. -- free-and-easy. [ PJC ]

v. i. (psychoanalysis) to express one's thoughts, ideas, impressions, etc. in an unplanned and unstructured way, allowing each thought or idea to prompt recollection of the next one. It is a process used in psychotherapy.
Syn. -- associate freely. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (psychoanalysis) The act or process of free-associating. It is a technique used in psychoanalysis and is supposed to allow the analyst access to the unconscious thoughts of the analysand. See free-associate. [ PJC ]

n. 1. (Chem.) The basic form of an organic amine which is capable of forming acid salts such as hydrochlorides. [ PJC ]

2. The basic form of a drug, often more powerful than a salt form because it is more readily absorbed into the blood stream. [ PJC ]

v. i. To ingest the basic form of a narcotic drug, usually by injection. [ PJC ]

n. [ D. vrijbuiter, fr. vrijbuiten to plunder; vrij free + buit booty, akin to E. booty. See Free, and Booty, and cf. Filibuster. ] One who plunders or pillages without the authority of national warfare; a member of a predatory band; a pillager; a buccaneer; a sea robber. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act, practice, or gains of a freebooter; freebooting. Booth. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Robbery; plunder; a pillaging. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Acting the freebooter; practicing freebootery; robbing. [ 1913 Webster ]

Your freebooting acquaintance. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Freebootery. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Born free; not born in vassalage; inheriting freedom. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. burning in a continuous manner; -- of an electric arc; as, heat transfer to the anode in free-burning arcs.
Syn. -- free burning, sustained. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

. In the fullest sense, the conversion of bullion (of any specified metal) into legal-tender coins for any person who chooses to bring it to the mint; in a modified sense, such coinage when done at a fixed charge proportionate to the cost of the operation. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

v. t. To make free. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Freedmen A man who has been a slave, and has been set free. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. freódōm; freófree + -dom. See Free, and -dom. ] 1. The state of being free; exemption from the power and control of another; liberty; independence. [ 1913 Webster ]

Made captive, yet deserving freedom more. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Privileges; franchises; immunities. [ 1913 Webster ]

Your charter and your caty's freedom. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Exemption from necessity, in choise and action; as, the freedom of the will. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Ease; facility; as, he speaks or acts with freedom. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Frankness; openness; unreservedness. [ 1913 Webster ]

I emboldened spake and freedom used. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Improper familiarity; violation of the rules of decorum; license. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. Generosity; liberality. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Freedom fine, a sum paid on entry to incorporations of trades. --
Freedom of the city, the possession of the rights and privileges of a freeman of the city; formerly often, and now occasionally, conferred on one not a resident, as a mark of honorary distinction for public services.

Syn. -- See Liberty. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Obs. ] See Fridstol. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a woman who has been freed from slavery. Correlative of freedman. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. 1. an economic system having predominantly private ownership of the means of production, and relying chiefly on market forces to allocate goods and resources and to determine prices, and having a minimum of governmental interference in economic decisions; also, the political doctrine advocating such a system as the economic system of a country. [ wns=1 ]
Syn. -- market economy, laissez-faire economy. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

2. The conduct of business according to the principles of the free enterprise doctrine; the conduct of economic activity without governmental interference. [ PJC ]

adj. Of or pertaining to the free enterprise system having private ownership of the means of production and competition between enterprises. [ prenominal ] [ Narrower terms: capitalistic, capitalist ] socialistic
Syn. -- competitive, private-enterprise(prenominal). [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. a noisy and disordered fight conducted without rules.
Syn. -- brawl. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. Hence: Any vigorous competition in which anyone can compete, with few or no rules, and in which the winner is unpredictable; as, when they began to distribute the free food, the orderly line of hungry recipients degenerated into a free-for-all. [ PJC ]

a. Done by the hand, without support, or the guidance of instruments; -- of drawing or sculpture; as, free-hand drawing. See under Drawing.
Syn. -- free, freehanded, unguided, untraced. [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

a. 1. Open-handed; liberal; given or giving freely or liberally; as, a freehanded host. [ wns=2 ]
Syn. -- big, bighearted, bounteous, bountiful, handsome, giving, liberal, openhanded. [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

2. same as freehand. [ wns=1 ]
Syn. -- free, freehand, unguided, untraced. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Open; frank; unreserved; liberal; generous; as, free-hearted mirth. Opposite of stingy.
Syn. -- benevolent.
-- Free"-heart`ed*ly, adv. -- Free"-heart`ed*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Lw) An estate in real property, of inheritance (in fee simple or fee tail) or for life; or the tenure by which such estate is held. Kent. Burrill. [ 1913 Webster ]

To abate into a freehold. See under Abate. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. (Law) The possessor of a freehold. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A person who owns local property and has been a resident for a certain period of years; -- used in some U.S. counties. [ U.S., local ] [ PJC ]

3. (Politics, U.S) A member of the Board of Chosen Freeholders of some county, such a board being a form of legislative and administrive body which controls the government in some counties in the United States. [ U.S., local ] [ PJC ]

n. 1. a person who acts independently or without authorization of an organization or of his superiors. [ PJC ]

2. a person who pursues a profession independently, and not as the employee of an organization; -- used especially of writers or photographers who sell their work to organizations of which they are not employees. [ PJC ]

a. of or pertaining to a freelance{ 2 }; as, a freelance photographer. [ PJC ]

v. i. to work on a free-lance basis; to work as a freelancer.
Syn. -- freelance. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a freelance{ 2 }, n. [ PJC ]

n. One who gratifies his physical appetites without stint; one given to indulgence in eating and drinking. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Unrestrained indulgence of the appetites as a way of life. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. (Biology) Living independently of other organisms; not parasitic or commensal. eating other organisms is not considered "dependence" in this sense.
Syn. -- nonparasitic, nonsymbiotic. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. The doctrine or practice of consorting with the opposite sex, at pleasure, without marriage. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who believes in or practices free-love. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Frailty. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. [ AS. freólice. ] In a free manner; without restraint or compulsion; abundantly; gratuitously. [ 1913 Webster ]

Of every tree of the garden thou mayst freely eat. Gen. ii. 16. [ 1913 Webster ]

Freely ye have received, freely give. Matt. x. 8. [ 1913 Webster ]

Freely they stood who stood, and fell who fell. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Freely we serve
Because we freely love. Milton.

Syn. -- Independently; voluntarily; spontaneously; unconditionally; unobstructedly; willingly; readily; liberally; generously; bounteously; munificently; bountifully; abundantly; largely; copiously; plentifully; plenteously. [ 1913 Webster ]