The verb "librar" in Spanish primarily means to free or to release someone or something from a burden, obligation, or confinement. It is commonly used in various contexts, especially in legal and economic terms, where it might refer to liberating assets, releasing someone from jail, or freeing oneself from responsibilities.
In terms of frequency, "librar" is relatively common in both oral and written Spanish, although it may appear more frequently in written legal texts or discussions related to economics.
La ley permite librar a una persona de impuestos en ciertas situaciones.
The law allows freeing a person from taxes in certain situations.
El juez decidió librar al acusado debido a falta de pruebas.
The judge decided to release the defendant due to lack of evidence.
Pudimos librar a nuestros bienes de la ejecución hipotecaria.
We were able to free our assets from foreclosure.
"Librar" is used in several idiomatic expressions in Spanish that convey the theme of freeing or releasing.
Librar una batalla
Están tratando de librar una batalla contra la corrupción en el gobierno.
They are trying to fight a battle against corruption in the government.
Librarse de algo
Necesito librarme de estrés antes del examen.
I need to free myself from stress before the exam.
Librar de culpa
El testigo logró librar de culpa al acusado.
The witness was able to clear the accused of guilt.
Librar a alguien de la muerte
El médico actuó rápidamente para librar a la paciente de la muerte.
The doctor acted quickly to save the patient from death.
Librar la mente
Meditación ayuda a muchas personas a librar la mente de pensamientos negativos.
Meditation helps many people to free their minds from negative thoughts.
The word "librar" originates from the Latin verb "librare," which means to weigh out or to balance, derived from "libra," meaning balance or scale. This origin reflects the idea of liberation, extending from a physical sense of balancing out burdens to a more metaphorical sense of freeing oneself or others from various constraints.