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licentia

Etymology and origin of the Latin word licentia

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Naevius
Ultimate origin
Latin (licet)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [lɪˈkɛn.ti.a][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [liˈt͡ʃɛn.t͡si.a][1]

Forms

licentia f (genitive licentiae); first declension[1]

Etymology

It is from licēns “free, unrestrained”, the present participle of licet “it is allowed”, with the suffix -ia.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Naevius, whom he dates c. 235–200 BC.[4] The OLD's earliest citation is from Plautus, of freedom to do as one pleases.[2]

Semantic evolution

It meant freedom to act as one pleases, permission, and a privilege, as in Plautus' play on licet, and in Cicero freedom to do something, as the Academy's magna licentia.[2][5][6] From Lucilius it meant unruly behaviour, wantonness, licence.[2] In the Rhetorica ad Herennium it meant frankness of speech, in Cicero poetic or rhetorical licence, and in Ovid freedom of fancy.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant permission, licence, a licentiate.[7] Medieval Latin used it for a marriage licence, licentia docendī the university licence to teach, leave of absence, and a dispensation.[8] It survives in French licence, Italian licenza and Spanish licencia, and English license is recorded about 1400.[1][9]

Timeline

  • c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it.[4]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of freedom.[2][4]
  • c. 180–102 BC – Lucilius uses it of wantonness.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of poetic licence.[2][4]
  • c. 1400 – English license is recorded.[9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Freedom, permission; a privilege.[2]
  2. Unruly behaviour, wantonness, licence.[2]
  3. Frankness of speech.[2]
  4. Poetic or rhetorical licence; freedom of fancy.[2]
  5. (Medieval Latin) A licence to teach; leave of absence; a dispensation.[8]

Word family

  • licentiātus
  • licentiōsus
  • licēns
  • licenter
  • licentiōsē
  • licet
  • licitus
  • English license
  • English licentious

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  8. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Licentia.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/licentia. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·