license
n. · v.-
1 official permit (n.) B1 Intermediate American English Lawan official document that gives you permission to do or own something.
a formal document or permit issued by an authority granting permission to perform a specific action or own a specific item.
ExampleYou must carry your driver's license whenever you are behind the wheel.
ExampleThe restaurant was forced to close temporarily after failing to renew its liquor license before the annual deadline.
UsageIn American English, 'license' is used for both the noun and the verb.
PitfallI need to renew my driving licence.I need to renew my driver's license.In American English, the spelling is 'license' for both the noun and verb; in British English, the noun is spelled 'licence'.
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2 software/usage terms (n.) B2 Upper Intermediate American English Computingthe legal rules that say how you are allowed to use a product, like a computer program.
the legal terms and conditions governing the use of intellectual property, particularly software or media.
ExamplePlease read the software license before you click the install button.
ExampleThe company purchased a site license that allowed all five hundred employees to use the design software simultaneously.
UsageOften used in the phrase 'end-user license agreement' (EULA).
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3 creative freedom (n.) C1 Advanced Formalthe freedom to change facts or break rules to create a special effect, especially in art or writing.
intentional deviation from fact, convention, or standard rules for artistic or rhetorical effect.
ExampleThe director took some poetic license with the history to make the movie more exciting.
ExampleWhile the biographer was praised for his prose, critics noted he took considerable artistic license with the timeline of the subject's early life.
UsageCommonly appears in the fixed phrases 'poetic license' or 'artistic license'.
- restraint
- strictness
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4 to give permission (v.) B2 Upper Intermediate Lawto give someone official or legal permission to do something.
to grant official or legal authority to an individual or organization to perform a specific activity.
ExampleThe city decided to license three new taxi companies this year.
ExampleThe medical board is responsible for licensing doctors to ensure they meet the national standards for patient care.
From Middle English licence, licens, lisence, lissens, licance, from Old French licence, from Latin licentia (“license”), from licens, present participle of licere (“to be allowed, be allowable”); compare linquere, Ancient Greek λείπω (leípō, “leave”).
From Middle English licencen, licensen, lisensen, licent, from Old French licencer, licencier, licenciier, licenser, from Medieval Latin licentiō (cf. English licentiate).