License

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈlaɪ.səns/

Definitions

1. A formal permission or official document granted by an authority that allows someone to do something, own something, or practice a profession that would otherwise be prohibited or regulated
2. A document or permission issued by an authority that enables an individual to engage in a specific activity, operate a vehicle, or conduct a profession legally
3. An authorization granted by a governing body that allows a person to perform activities, own property, or work in a field that requires certification or regulation

Etymology: The word "license" is a case where the spelling in English has split from its Latin ancestor in a way that tracks a meaning. The Latin "licentia" meant freedom or liberty to act, and in its later Latin and English career it came to mean unrestrained freedom, so a "licentious" person is one who has taken that freedom too far. The permission sense we now know, a formal authority to do something, grew out of the idea of being allowed to act. The root is "licere," meaning "to be allowed," which is the same verb behind "licit," the legal opposite of "illicit." English took the noun from Old French "licence" in Middle English, and the spelling "license" with an "s" became standard in English while "licence" remained the usual British noun spelling. The verb came separately, from Old French "licencier," which was built on the Medieval Latin "licentiare," the source of "licentiate," a person formally given permission to practise a profession.

Synonyms: permit, authorization, certification, approval, qualification

Antonyms: prohibition, ban, disallowance, forbiddance