Underlicensing

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. Obtaining fewer licenses than required for legal or proper use
2. Failing to acquire an adequate number of licenses necessary for compliance
3. Holding or using licenses in a quantity below the necessary or permitted amount

Etymology: "Underlicensing" is formed from "under-" and "licensing," and it is a modern formation rather than an old word with a long pedigree. The prefix "under-" comes from Old English and has long meant "too little" or "beneath," as in "undercook" or "underpaid." Attached to "licensing," the gerund of "license," it produces the sense of granting too few permits or authorizations. The base word "license" reached English from Anglo-Norman and Old French "licence," which in turn came from Latin "licentia," meaning freedom or liberty to do something. Over time "license" narrowed from a general sense of permission toward the formal, documented authority that governs activities such as driving, medicine or software use.

Synonyms: underpermitting, underauthorizing, underallowing

Antonyms: overlicensing, overpermitting, overauthorizing