What does the word "liberal" mean?

[question everything]

It has been getting on our nerves when the word "liberal" is being spouted on attack ads as it it were the same as leper, or terrorist, or child molester.

Where, spouse asked, do they think the term "liberal art" or liberal art college" come from?

So we went to Wikipedia:

The term liberal in liberal arts is from the Latin word liberalis, meaning "appropriate for free men" (social and political elites), and they were contrasted with the servile arts. The liberal arts thus initially represented the kinds of skills and general knowledge needed by the elite echelon of society, whereas the servile arts represented specialized tradesman skills and knowledge needed by persons who were employed by the elite.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_arts