vrij

Vrij is a Dutch word meaning not bound or unrestricted. It describes a state or quality of being free from constraint, obligation, or occupation. In everyday use it can refer to a person who acts freely, a place that is unoccupied or unobstructed, or a decision made without external pressure. The word also appears in phrases such as vrij van (free from) and vrij kiezen (to choose freely). As an adverb, vrij can convey openness or spontaneity, for example in vrijuit spreken (to speak openly).

The broader concept expressed by vrij is freedom or liberty, which in Dutch is usually written vrijheid. Vrij is the adjectival and adverbial form that underpins many related terms and phrases in politics, ethics, and law. In technical and legal language, vrij is found in compounds like vrijheidsgraden (degrees of freedom) and vrijstelling (exemption). Institutions that emphasize autonomy, such as Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, use a related form of the word in their names.

Etymology and cognates: vrij derives from Old Dutch and Proto-Germanic roots and is cognate with German frei and English free. The word is historically connected to the broader family of terms for liberty, independence, and lack of bondage.

See also: vrijheid, vrijheidsbeweging, vrijheidsstrijd, vrijwillig, vrijstelling.