Li"cense (lī"sens), n.
[Written also licence.] [F. licence, L.
licentia, fr. licere to be permitted, prob. orig., to
be left free to one; akin to linquere to leave. See
Loan, and cf. Illicit, Leisure.]
1. Authority or liberty given to do or forbear
any act; especially, a formal permission from the proper authorities
to perform certain acts or to carry on a certain business, which
without such permission would be illegal; a grant of permission; as,
a license to preach, to practice medicine, to sell gunpowder
or intoxicating liquors.
To have a license and a leave at London to
dwell.
P. Plowman.
2. The document granting such
permission. Addison.
3. Excess of liberty; freedom abused, or used
in contempt of law or decorum; disregard of law or
propriety.
License they mean when they cry
liberty.
Milton.
4. That deviation from strict fact, form, or
rule, in which an artist or writer indulges, assuming that it will be
permitted for the sake of the advantage or effect gained; as, poetic
license; grammatical license, etc.
Syn. -- Leave; liberty; permission.
Li"cense (lī"sens), v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Licensed
(lī"senst); p. pr. & vb. n.
Licensing.] To permit or authorize by license; to give
license to; as, to license a man to preach. Milton.
Shak.