licensee

Etymology

It is formed from English license + -ee,^[2][3][4] the suffix used in legal English for the person who receives an action, beside an agent noun in -or;^[3] the verb license is from the noun licence,^[3] which is from Old French licence (“freedom, liberty; permission”), from Latin licentia (“freedom, liberty”), from licēns, the present participle of licet (“to be allowed, be lawful”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

One to whom a licence is granted: 1837, according to Etymonline.^[3] The OED's first quotation is from 1868, in the National Encyclopedia;^[2] Merriam-Webster dates the word to about 1864, and Dictionary.com to 1865–70.^[5][4]

Semantic evolution

Beside the general sense, a person or company that holds a licence,^[2][6] the word has a narrower legal sense: a person who is on another's property with the occupier's permission, but for his own purposes, such as a social guest, as distinct from an invitee or a trespasser.^[7][5] In Britain a licensee is especially a person licensed to sell alcoholic drink, such as the landlord of a pub.^[8]

Timeline

• 1837 – one to whom a licence is granted.^[3] The OED's first quotation is from 1868.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A person or organization that holds a licence: The licensee must renew the permit every five years.^[8][5][6][2]
2. Especially, a person licensed to sell alcoholic drink, as the landlord of a pub.^[8]
3. (law) A person who is on another's property with the occupier's consent but for his or her own purposes, such as a social guest.^[7][5]

Word family

• sublicensee

Related words

• license
• licence
• licensor
• licentious
• illicit

Usage notes

Random House lists licencee as a variant spelling,^[9] but Wiktionary notes that, since the word comes from the verb license, licencee is considered incorrect even where the noun is spelled licence.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
7. ^ a b Garner, Bryan A., ed. (2004), Black's Law Dictionary, 8th ed., St. Paul, Minn.: Thomson West
8. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
9. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House