liberal arts
plural noun
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Why do we call the liberal arts "liberal"?
The liberal in liberal arts is not political. Its roots can be traced to the Latin word liber, meaning “free, unrestricted.” Our language took the term from the Latin liberales artes, which described the education given to members of the upper classes as well as to those with the full rights of a citizen; this education involved training in such subjects as grammar, logic, geometry, etc., as opposed to the education reserved for the lower classes, which involved mechanical or occupational skills. The phrase liberal arts has been part of our language for a very long time, with use dating back to the 14th century.
Examples of liberal arts in a Sentence
Damon Wise, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2024
The Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and sciences degrees, as well as professional development and K-12 programs for fostering success at every stage of life.
—April Wallace, arkansasonline.com, 31 Oct. 2024
The baccalaureate majors with the largest declines in enrollment were liberal arts, general studies and humanities (-5.9%), English (-2.6%), natural resources and conservation (-1.5%), security and protective services (-.7%) and social sciences (-.3%).
—Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
This prestigious position focused on profit improvement and due diligence for private equity transactions, a brand-new field for a liberal arts major.
—Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 12 Oct. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near liberal arts
Cite this Entry
“Liberal arts.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liberal%20arts. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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