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libertin

libertine, licentious

adjective lee-behr-TAN Rare
Descriptions & Qualities Personality

Origin: Latin libertinus ('freed slave'), later 'free in morals'

Also means

freethinking (historical)

Usage Note

Libertin has two historical layers: in the 17th century it meant a freethinker who rejected religious authority; by the 18th century (les libertins) it came to mean sexually dissolute, as in the novels of Laclos. Today libertin/libertine is mostly used for a person with an open, sexually adventurous lifestyle. The noun un libertin, une libertine is equally common.

Examples

"Le personnage libertin séduit toutes les femmes du roman."

Natural Translation

The libertine character seduces all the women in the novel.

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