Etymology

at large

Today it means: On the loose; roaming freely; not confined. Full definition →

Middle English at large
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

  1. Middle English · inherited fromat large“at liberty or freedom”
  2. English todayat large

From Middle English at large (“at liberty or freedom”) (compare Middle English ben at large (“to be at one's liberty, be free”)). Compare Old French au large (“at liberty” and other senses).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.