Licet

Licet is an impersonal Latin verb meaning “it is permitted” or “it is allowed.” It expresses permission or allowance and is typically used with a dative of the person to whom the permission is granted, followed by an infinitive or a finite verb that names the action. The present form licet is impersonal and has no explicit subject; the past form licuit means “it was permitted.”

Common constructions include Mihi licet facere id (It is permitted for me to do that) or Tibi licet venire (You may come). The verb is often described as defective, because it lacks a full set of personal endings and is used primarily in an impersonal sense. The verb’s perfect form licuit is used for past permission, e.g., Mihi licuit id facere (It was permitted for me to do that).

Etymology and related terms: licet comes from the Latin verb licere, “to be permitted.” The concept of permission is linked to Latin nouns such as licentia (permission, license) and to the broader semantic family that yields related terms in many Romance languages and in English loanwords (license, licentia).

Usage and scope: Licet appears in classical authors, juristic texts, and medieval Latin as a standard way to grant or acknowledge permission. While it is most common in scholarly or formal Latin, the construction remains a canonical tool for expressing allowance without asserting a personal subject.