liable

English

Etymology

From Old French lier (“to bind”), from Latin ligare (“to bind, to tie”)

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈlaɪəbl̩/

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -aɪəbəl

Adjective

liable (comparative more liable, superlative most liable)

1. Bound or obliged in law or equity; responsible; answerable.

   The surety is liable for the debt of his principal.

   • 1748. David Hume. Enquiries concerning the human understanding and concerning the principles of moral. London: Oxford University Press, 1973. § 34.

     The passion for philosophy, like that for religion, seems liable to this inconvenience

2. Exposed to a certain contingency or casualty, more or less probable.
3. (as predicate, with "to" and an infinitive) Likely.

   Someone is liable to slip on your icy sidewalk.

Related terms

• liability
• reliable

Translations

responsible

• Dutch: aansprakelijk (nl), verantwoordelijk (nl)
• French: responsable (fr)
• German: (Switzerland) fehlbar (de); (Germany, Austria) haftbar (de), haftend (de), haftpflichtig (de)

• Portuguese: responsável (pt)
• Romanian: răspunzător (ro), responsabil (ro)
• Russian: обязанный (ru) (objazannyj), ответственный (ru) (otvetstvennyj)

exposed to a certain contingency

• German: neigend (de), unterworfen (de)
• Portuguese: passível (pt)

• Romanian: pasibil (ro)
• Russian: подверженный (ru) (podveržennyj), склонный (ru) (sklonnyj), уязвимый (ru) (ujazvimyj)

Anagrams

• alible
• Biella
• labile