During these recent politically-active months I have heard these words constantly, yet I am not sure on what they mean or better said, what they represent. In the political context, what does it mean to be a liberal or a conservative?

Using Google to find the answer can be quite time consuming given the number of results that will come back from any politics-related query. However, I was able to find this page which provides an overview of the ideology continuum.

Political Ideology Definitions

The original definition of a liberal was someone who advocated change, new philosophies, and new ideas. A conservative was someone who avoided change, instead preferring to stick to the tried and true. In modern times, these definitions have expanded to include a wide set of political beliefs (which are defined below). To be Leftist or agree with the Left political point of view is synonymous with being liberal. To be Rightist or agree with the Right political point of view is synonymous with being conservative. The Left and Right terms were created because political ideology is viewed on a continuum; most people generally hold views somewhere in the middle.

I am still curious about the origin of these labels though. For example, why liberal and not progressive, or is that somewhere in the continuum too but is not as popular? The search goes on.