1. (n.) 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.

2. (n.) The document granting such permission.

3. (n.) Excess of liberty; freedom abused, or used in contempt of law or decorum; disregard of law or propriety.

4. (n.) 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.

5. (v. t.) To permit or authorize by license; to give license to; as, to license a man to preach.

Lehrfreiheit OK academic freedom accredit admission agency agentship allow allowance anarchy approve assign assignment assumption authority authorization authorize blank check brevet building permit care carte blanche certificate certify chaos charge charter commission commissioning commit commitment confusion consent consign consignment constitutional freedom copyright cure debauchery debauchment delegate delegated authority delegation deputation depute deputize detach detail devolute devolution devolve devolve upon devolvement diplomatic immunity discharge disobedience dispensation dissipation dissoluteness document embassy empower empowerment enable enfranchise entitle entrust entrusting entrustment errand exception executorship exemption exequatur fabulous formless darkness factorship familiarity fastness favor fishing license foul-up franchise freedom freedom from fear freedom from want freedom of worship full power gallantry give in charge give official sanction give power grant hassle hubris hunting license immunity imposition imprimatur indiscipline indulgence insubordination interregnum irresponsibility jurisdiction lawlessness laxity leave legalize legation legislative immunity legitimize let liberties libertinage libertinism liberty liberty abused licentiousness lieutenancy loose looseness mandate misrule mission mix-up morass muddle mutiny nihil obstat office okay patent permission permission to enter permit plenipotentiary power post power of attorney power to act power vacuum presumption presumptuousness privilege procuration profligacy proxy purview rakishness rampant will ratify regency regentship relaxation release responsibility run sanction screw-up send out slackness snafu special favor special permission suffer task the Four Freedoms the run of ticket ticket of admission transfer trust trusteeship unaccountability unbridledness uncontrol undue liberty unrestraint validate venery vicarious authority vouchsafement waiver warrant wenching whoring wildness willfulness