[lahy-suh
ns] 
noun, verb, -censed, -cens⋅ing.| 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. |
| 9. | to grant authoritative permission or license to. |