licenciate

Licenciate is a verb in English that means to grant a license or to authorize someone to carry out a specific activity. It is not commonly used in modern, everyday English and is generally considered archaic or regional. In contemporary writing, speakers typically use license as the verb (to license someone or something) or phrase the idea with “grant a license.” The noun form in British English is licence, while American English uses license for both noun and verb.

Usage of licenciate is largely confined to historical, legal, or formal texts where older administrative language appears. When encountered today, it is usually in reference to a traditional or ceremonial form of authorization rather than in current regulatory practice. Modern terminology related to the concept includes licensure, the act or process of granting a license, and licensor, the party that grants the license.

Etymology and related forms: licenciate derives from the same root as license, tracing back to the Latin licentia meaning freedom or permission, through Old French licence. The -ate suffix forms a verb meaning “to cause to have a license” or “to grant permission,” but this construction fell out of common use in favor of the simpler verb license.

See also: license, licensure, licensor, licensing.