From Latin 'liberalis' (of a free person), from 'liber' (free) — originally 'generous,' acquiring its political sense later.
Willing to respect or accept behaviour or opinions different from one's own; relating to political or social reform and individual freedoms. Also: generous, ample.
From Latin 'liberalis' (of or pertaining to a free person, worthy of a free person, generous, noble), from 'liber' (free, unrestricted, independent), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lewdʰ- (people, free people). The PIE root *h₁lewdʰ- is the ancestor of Greek 'eleutheros' (ἐλεύθερος, free), which gave 'eleutheria' (freedom, liberty) — the ancient Greek ideal of freedom. The word entered English through Old French 'liberal,' initially in the specifically educational sense of 'befitting a free citizen': the 'artes liberales' (liberal arts) were the
The 'liberal arts' have nothing to do with political liberalism. In Roman education, the 'artes liberales' were the subjects studied by free citizens (grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music, astronomy), as opposed to the 'artes mechanicae' (practical trades) practiced by slaves and tradesmen. A 'liberal education' was literally an education worthy of a free person