English Explanatory Dictionary

license

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun

A legal document giving official permission to do something; a permit.
The legal terms under which a person is allowed to use a product, especially software.
Freedom to deviate deliberately from normally applicable rules or practices (especially in behaviour or speech).
Excessive freedom; lack of due restraint.
Ellipsis of driver's license.

verb

To authorize officially.
(applied to a piece of intellectual property)
To give formal authorization to use.
To acquire authorization to use, usually in exchange for compensation.
To give permission or freedom to; accept.
To permit (as grammatically correct).

Pronunciation

/ˈlaɪ.səns/ en-us-license.ogg

Word forms

license licenses licence licensing licensed

Etymology

From Middle English licence, licens, lisence, lissens, licance, from Old French licence, from Latin licentia (“license”), from licens, present participle of licere (“to be allowed, be allowable”); compare linquere, Ancient Greek λείπω (leípō, “leave”).

Related words

licensure licentious

Derived words

artistic license bare license beginner's license BSD license clickwrap license colicense crayon license dramatic license driver's license driving license end user license agreement high license learner's license license fee license-free license laundering licenseless licenselike license plate license to print money licensure licentious licentiously licentiousness marriage license MIT license multilicense multi-license naked license off-license perpetual license poetic license provisional license public license shrink-wrap license shrinkwrap license sub-license vanity license plate licensee licensor sublicense crosslicense delicense licensable licenser relicense unlicense

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.

Back to search All on L Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary