Origin "at large"

Posted by James Briggs April 11, 2001In reply to Origin "at large" posted by R. Berg on April 11, 2001

I know the various meanings of the phrase "at large," but I can't seem to find its origins. Any help?

An obsolete meaning of "large" as a noun is "freedom, liberty," now surviving only in the phrase 'at large" (Webster's unabridged, 1934).

See above

Replies

Origin of "Okay" Wouter Mier 04/29/01