license

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.

Verb

• Authorize officially.
• To permit (as grammatically correct).

Origin

• From Middle English licence, licens, lisence, lissens, licance and licencen, licensen, lisensen, licent, from Old French licence, from Latin licentia ("license"), from licens, present participle of licere; compare linquere, Ancient Greek λείπω ("leave").