liable C1 Topic:Actions & Processes US /ˈlaɪ̯əbəl/ See IPA manual Freq #9517 Meanings 1 adj Likely to do or experience something, usually something bad. The roads are liable to freeze overnight, so drive carefully. 2 adj Legally responsible for something. The company is liable for any damage caused by its products. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · likely to do or experience... apt Word family Derived forms liablenessnonliableunliable Related forms liabilityreliable Etymology AI details From Old French lier (“to bind”), from Latin ligare (“to bind, to tie”). *leyǵ- Proto-Indo-European View etymology graph -> Topics Actions & Processes External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # liable **Type:** Word **Level:** C1 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈlaɪ̯əbəl/ **Frequency rank:** 9517 ## Meanings 1. Likely to do or experience something, usually something bad. 2. Legally responsible for something. ## Examples - The roads are liable to freeze overnight, so drive carefully. - The company is liable for any damage caused by its products. ## Derived Forms - liableness - nonliable - unliable ## Related Forms - liability - reliable ## Roots and Affixes - Root: *leyǵ- ## Etymology From Old French lier (“to bind”), from Latin ligare (“to bind, to tie”). ## AI Etymology Liable comes from Old French lier (“to bind”), from Latin ligare (“to bind, to tie”). The historical chain includes *leyǵ- (Proto-Indo-European). The surrounding word family includes derived forms such as liableness, nonliable, and unliable and related forms such as liability and reliable. In present use it covers likely to do or experience something, usually something bad and legally responsible for something. ## Topics - Actions & Processes markdown