license: Meaning and Definition of

li•cense

Pronunciation: (lī'suns), [key]
— n., v., -censed, -cens•ing.
—n.
  1. formal permission from a governmental or other constituted authority to do something, as to carry on some business or profession.
  2. a certificate, tag, plate, etc., giving proof of such permission; official permit: a driver's license.
  3. permission to do or not to do something.
  4. intentional deviation from rule, convention, or fact, as for the sake of literary or artistic effect: poetic license.
  5. exceptional freedom allowed in a special situation.
  6. excessive or undue freedom or liberty.
  7. licentiousness.
  8. the legal right to use a patent owned by another.
—v.t.
  1. to grant authoritative permission or license to.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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