lib

Meanings

Noun

• liberal
• liberation
• library
• libertarian
• A potion; magic potion; charm.

Verb

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

Origin

• Abbreviation for various words beginning in lib-.
• From Middle English libbe, from Old English lybb, lyb, from Proto-West Germanic *lubi, from Proto-Germanic *lubją ("wort, herb, drug, poison"), from Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ-, *lewb-, from Proto-Indo-European *lew- ("to cut, remove, prune, separate"). Cognate with German Luppe, Lüppe, Icelandic lyf ("medicine, drug").
• From Middle English libben, related to Dutch lubben, Dutch libbe ("a steer"), lubbert. Further relation uncertain. Possibly related to Old English *lybbian ("to doctor"), from lybb (see above); or perhaps related to Old English lappa, læppa. More at lop.