Dictionary
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.
to grant authoritative permission or license to.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.