Liceity

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /lɪˈsiːɪti/

Definitions

1. The condition of being recognized as lawful or permitted under legal frameworks
2. The quality of being allowed or authorized by law or rules
3. The state in which something is considered valid and not forbidden by regulations

Etymology: "Liceity" is a plain formation on Latin "licere," meaning "to be permitted," which also gave English "license" and "licit." The noun is built from the adjective "licit," which came from Latin "licitus," the past participle of "licere," with the English suffix "-ity" attached to form a noun of quality. The result is a legal-sounding term for the state of being permitted by law, a neat pairing with "illicit," the opposite of "licit." The pattern is also a useful reminder that English often has several words from one Latin root: "license" entered as the familiar everyday noun, while "liceity" stayed in the specialist vocabulary of law and philosophy. Its use is largely confined to formal writing, where it lets a writer discuss whether an act is permissible without reaching for the vaguer "legality."