(a) Of a person: free in rank or condition, having the social status of a noble or a freeman, not a slave or serf; holding one's land in free tenure (i.e., a more or less permanent tenure depending upon fixed rents or services rather than upon the pleasure of one's feudal lord); ~ of blod, of aristocratic family; (b) as noun: a free person; bond and ~, ~ and bond, ~ or servaunt, theu and ~, etc.; (c) of a people: politically independent, not subject to a foreign nation or ruler; (d) out of the bondage of sin, not subject to the Devil; (e) as an element in names: free, freeborn.

(a) Not in captivity, released from prison or confinement; (b) free of the bonds of love or matrimony.

(a) Unrestricted in movement or action, at liberty to do something, free to do as one pleases; (b) of love, thought, etc.: not subject to control; (c) of assent, choice, decision, etc.: not constrained by external compulsion, unrestricted, voluntary; bi (in, of, on, with) fre wil, bi (thurgh) ~ assent, of wil ~, of (one's own) accord, voluntarily, willingly; after ~ wil, in ~ disposicioun, according to (one's own) desire or pleasure; bi (of) ~ eleccioun, bi ~ disposicioun, by the free choice (of a group of electors); ~ wil (choice), unrestricted choice, the right or power to choose; (d) theol. not predestined; ~ choice (eleccioun), choice uncontrolled by predestination; ~ wil (arbitracioun, arbitri), free will, freedom of the will; ~ bitiding, unpredestined happening, free occurrence.

(a) Of a road, passage, travel, etc.: unobstructed, clear open; ~ entre, free access; (b) law unimpeded, unchallenged; ~ entre, ~ entre and issue (out-going), ~ going, the right to enter and leave one's own property, the privilege of passing through another person's property to gain access to one's own; (c) clear (of something undesirable), clean, innocent; ~ of (fro, from), devoid of, free from, rid of; ~ fro meschef, unharmed; (d) surg. of ulcers: not entangled.

(a) Like a freeman; noble in character; gracious, well-mannered; noble in appearance, handsome; --often used in epithets or polite salutations; (b) as noun: person of noble character; gracious or beautiful woman; (c) of things: precious, excellent; of conditions, manners, habits, actions: befitting a freeman, noble; ~ kind, noble nature; (d) of the arts and sciences: noble; the fre artes (sciences), the liberal arts; (e) of a horse: noble, spirited.

(a) Generous, open-handed; ~ herte, kind heart, generosity; ~ of yiftes, liberal in giving; ~ of dispense, openhanded in spending; ~ of, generous with (something); (b) ready or willing (to do something), spontaneous; ~ of speche (tonge, wordes), speaking freely, outspoken, frank; with herte ~, willingly, gladly; (c) furnished without cost to the recipient, gratuitous; ~ almes, voluntary alms; ~ mete, food distributed gratis on a feast day.

Having a privileged status; esp. exempt from something: (a) of a church or monastery: independent of some kinds of external control, exempt from certain duties or exactions; (b) of a people or country: free of alien domination, exempt from tribute; (c) of land or property: exempt from certain taxes and services; freehold; also fig.; (d) of a person: exempt from a tax or toll; freed (from a duty or service); released (from an oath or obligation); (e) of a merchant: at liberty to buy or sell (in a certain city or country).

(a) Having membership in the corporation of a city or town, possessing the rights and privileges of a citizen; having the freedom of a city; also fig.; (b) having membership in a craft or guild.

In terms relating to manorial customs and land tenure: (a) ~ almes, property given to a religious foundation without payment in return and without requirement of services other than spiritual; also, the tenure by which such property is held, frankalmoigne; (b) ~ bole, a bull who runs with the herd; prob., a bull furnished by the lord of the manor [See Coulton, Med.Village 196-8.]; (c) ~ chace, the right to hunt on one's own property; (d) ~ commun, the privilege of sharing in the common pastures of the manor; (e) ~ fishing, the privilege of fishing in waters belonging to the manor; (f) ~ fold, ?the right of a lord to keep the sheep of his tenants in his fold; (g) ~ gift, ?a gift similar to ~ banch or ~ doueri; (h) ~ graunting, ?a gift of land under freehold tenure; (i) ~ servise, a rent owed to the lord of the manor by freehold land; (j) ~ socage, tenure of land by service other than military and without restriction as to sale, inheritance, etc.; (k) ~ tenement, freehold property; ?also, the tenure by which it is held; (1) ~ warein, the right to keep or hunt game in a certain place.

In terms relating to dowry and the marriage laws: (a) ~ ba(u)nch, land or property which a wife was entitled to retain after her husband's death and make use of until her own death, free bench; also, the tenure by which the property was held; (b) ?~ countes, a widowed countess who retains her title and property [see Brown's note]; (c) ~ doueri, cp. ~ banch; (d) ~ mariage, land or property given to a wife at marriage and jointly owned by husband and wife until the husband's death, after which it became the freehold property of the widow; in (into) ~ mariage, as a marriage gift; (e) ~ widwehod, the status of a widow who holds land in her own right.

In miscellaneous legal terms: (a) ~ aquitaunce, an unconditional release from an obligation; (b) ~ borwe, a freeman who becomes a surety; prob., one of the mutually responsible members of a tithing or similar unit, a frank-pledge; (c) ~ custom, a privilege accompanying the title to a freehold estate; (d) ~ faculte, unrestricted right or power to do something; (e) ~ hold, custody without confinement; (f) ~ lawes, laws suitable to free men; (g) ~ liberte, an unrestricted privilege; (h) ~ pardoun, an unconditional or complete pardon; (i) ~ plege, cp. ~ borwe; under ~ plege, jointly responsible for the conduct of the members of a tithing or similar unit; veue of ~ pleges, a court attended by the frank-pledges; (j) ~ pouer, unrestricted power or authority to do something; (k) ~ prisoun, custody, or a place of custody, without torture, as specifically in Limbo (the limbus patrum); (l) ~ court, ~ prisoun, a court, ?a prison, under the jurisdiction of an incorporated city.

maken fre of, to help (oneself) to (another's property); maken ~ over, to make (someone) lord over (something).