a. Also 6–7 lyable, (7 layable). [Plausibly explained as a. AF. *liable = med.L. *ligābilis that can be bound, f. ligāre, F. lier to bind; but if this be the origin, it is strange that the word is not known in AF. or Law Latin.]
1. Law. Bound or obliged by law or equity, or in accordance with a rule or convention; answerable (for, also const. † to with the same sense); legally subject or amenable to.
1542–3. Act 34 & 35 Hen. VIII., c. 4 § 4. His landes … and cattalles, shall be charged and lyable to the execucion of the sayde recouery.
1627. Crt. & Times Chas. I. (1848), I. 208. None were liable to martial law but martial men.
1636. Featly, Clavis Myst., x. 131. Those that are lyable your authority and jurisdiction.
1649. Langbaine, Answ. Univ. Oxford, 40. Their having the Custody … of the Gaole,… and their being liable to Escapes.
1651. Hobbes, Leviath., II. xxii. 120. Every Member is lyable by himself for the whole [debt].
1761. Descr. S. Carolina, 34. The Species of Goods liable to Duties, are Sugar, Rum, Madeira Wine.
1765. Blackstone, Comm., I. 107. The territory of England is liable to two divisions; the one ecclesiastical, the other civil. Ibid., 470. The freehold was vested in the parson; and,… on his death … would be liable to his debts and incumbrances.
1818. Cruise, Digest (ed. 2), I. 493. It is somewhat doubtful whether trusts were originally liable to Crown debts.
1832. Lewis, Use & Ab. Pol. Terms, iii. 26. A sovereign … can never be liable to any legal duties.
1866. Crump, Banking, v. 126. A premature release of a party liable on the bill.
1867. C. S. Parker, in Quest. for Ref. Parl., 158. Persons liable to income-tax.
1886. Sir J. Pearson, in Law Rep., 32 Ch. Div. 46. Every one of the partners is liable to the full extent of his fortune for all the debts incurred by the partnership.
1891. Law Times Rep., LXIII. 765/1. The defendants were liable as principals, as they had contracted in their own names without any qualification.
b. const. inf.
1637. Crt. & Times Chas. I. (1848), II. 268. There is a little demur whether an executor is liable to answer damages.
1683. Boston Rec. (1881), VII. 160. Candles made up for sale shall … be liable to be weighed and forfeited for want of being full weight.
1688. Col. Rec. Pennsylv., I. 219. Wherein Land were made Layable to pay debts.
1765. Blackstone, Comm., I. 254. It is reasonable that, wherever they transgress it, there they shall be liable to make atonement.
1808. Pike, Sources Mississ. (1810), III. App. 45. The property of any officer or soldier, who is killed on the field of battle … is not liable to be taken for debt.
1818. Cruise, Digest (ed. 2), II. 460. The estate descended is the creditor’s, and liable to pay his debts.
1825. Act 6 Geo. IV., c. 50 § 1. Every man … who shall occupy a house containing not less than fifteen windows, shall be … liable to serve on juries.
1832. Ht. Martineau, Ella of Gar., ii. 27. Will our growing rich make us liable to pay what your honour calls real rent?
2. Of land: ? Subject to taxation. † Also said of the tax. ? Obs.
a. 1626. Bacon, Max. & Uses Com. Law (1636), 46. The land was not lyable longer than his owne life time.
1647. in W. S. Pattee, Hist. Old Braintree (Mass.) (1878), 33. His tax shall be still liable as heretofore.
1817. J. Bradbury, Trav. Amer., 292. No land tax is expected until five years after the purchase, when land becomes liable.
3. a. Exposed or subject to, or likely to suffer from (something prejudicial); in older use with wider sense, † subject to the operation of (any agency), likely to undergo (a change of any kind). Normally const. to; rarely † of, also † for with acc. and inf.
1593. Nashe, Christ’s T., 8. You should not be lyable to so much blame.
1609. Holland, Amm. Marcell., 157. To shew himself lyable to no fault [L. nulli obnoxium culpæ].
1627. Perrot, Tithes, 62. He … is lyable to all those curses.
1643. Burroughes, Exp. Hosea, ch. 2. iii. 263. She shall be laid open, lyable for all wilde beasts to come in and to devoure her.
1646. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., II. i. 52. [Crystall] by the art of Chymistry is separable unto the operations whereof it is lyable, with other concretions, as calcination, reverberation, sublimation, distillation.
1662. Bk. Com. Prayer, Pref., Either of doubtful signification, or otherwise liable to misconstruction.
1667. Milton, P. L., VI. 397. Not liable to fear or flight or paine.
1668. Howe, Bless. Righteous (1825), 55. Those [perfections] which are less liable to our apprehension.
1692. Bentley, Boyle Lect., i. 23. Some … Wretches or … Hypocrites are mostly justly … liable to these horrors of mind.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 56, ¶ 4. He … found that though they were Objects of his Sight, they were not liable to his Touch. Ibid. (1712), No. 421, ¶ 5. The Imagination is as liable to Pain as Pleasure.
1752. Hume, Ess. & Treat. (1777), I. 171. There is one mistake to which they seem liable.
1769. Junius Lett., v. 27. Your declaration … is liable to two objections.
1801. A. Hamilton, Wks. (1886), VII. 213. Reasons … which … are omitted as being more liable to dispute.
1848. Dickens, Dombey, i. Her eyes were liable to a similar affection.
1860. Ruskin, Mod. Paint., V. VI. ix. 83. At edges of loose cliffs … and in other places liable to disturbance.
1880. Geikie, Phys. Geog., V. § 31. 352. Sea breezes are not liable to the same extremes of temperature as those from the land.
b. Const. inf. Subject to the possibility of (doing or undergoing something undesirable).
1682. Creech, Lucretius, I. 27. All would be liable to die, Subject to powerful Mortality.
1683. Penn, Wks. (1782), IV. 302. The multitude of trees … being liable to retain mists and vapours.
1736. Butler, Anal., I. iv. Wks. 1874, I. 79. Human creatures are … continually liable to go wrong voluntarily.
[1749. Chesterf., Lett., 24 Nov. He thought that gentleman was more liable to be thanked and rewarded than censured. You know, I presume, that liable can never be used in a good sense.]
1786. Burke, W. Hastings, Wks. 1842, II. 178. They were … liable to suffer the greatest extremities of penury.
1800. Bentham, Wks. (1843), X. 352. Difficulties, I am sensible, may be liable to occur.
1858. Ruskin, Arrows of Chace (1880), I. 130. Some colours are … liable to darken in perpetual shade.
1893. Liddon, etc., Life Pusey, I. xvi. 376. The method, however equitable the intention, is liable to be inequitable in effect.
1896. Portfolio, June, 80. Ground so liable to be overflowed must surely at one time have been a swamp.
¶ 4. Inaccurately used for: Incident to. Obs.
1631. Denison, Heav. Banq., 246. The curse of God is liable to euery one.
1746. Eliza Heywood, Female Spect., No. 24 (1748), IV. 285. The faults of inadvertency are liable to us all.
† 5. Subject or subservient to; attached or belonging to. Obs.
1571. Campion, Hist. Irel., 26. Other lawyers they haue, liable to certaine families.
1595. Shaks., John, II. i. 490. Angiers, and … all that we vpon this side the Sea … Finde liable to our Crowne and Dignitie. Ibid., V. ii. 101. Who else but I, And such as to my claime are liable, Sweat in this businesse, and maintaine this warre?
1596. Edward III., I. ii. 8. Those are her own, still liable to her.
1602. Warner, Alb. Eng., II. lxi. (1612), 268. If sad were she, then sad was he, if merrie, merrie too. His senses liable to all, she did, or did not doe.
1616. Bullokar, Liable. Subject to, belonging to.
† 6. Suitable, apt. Also const. inf. Obs.
1570. Q. Councell’s Let., 7 Feb., in N. & Q. (1857), 1 Aug., 85/1. To chewse persons lyable to give good informacion.
1588. Shaks., L. L. L., V. i. 97. Pedant. The posterior of the day … is liable, congruent, and measurable for the after-noone. Ibid. (1595), John, IV. ii. 226. Finding thee … Apt, liable to be employ’d in danger.
