What does "license" mean?

License: The document granting such permission. Addison.

Additional senses

  1. 2.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.
  2. 3.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.
  3. 4.To permit or authorize by license; to give license to; as, to license a man to preach. Milton. Shak.

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