VOCABULARY LESSON: LICENSE > LICIT > ILLICIT licence (n.) late 14c., “formal aut

VOCABULARY LESSON: LICENSE > LICIT > ILLICIT

licence (n.)
late 14c., “formal authorization, official permission, permit, privilege,” from Old French licence “freedom, liberty, power, possibility; permission,”

licit (adj.)
“lawful, allowable,” late 15c., from Latin licitus “lawful, permitted, allowed,” past participle of licere “be allowed, be lawful” (see licence (n.)). Related: Licitly; licitness. In early 19c. England it was condemned unjustly as an Americanism.

illicit (adj.)
c. 1500, from Old French illicite “unlawful, forbidden” (14c.), from Latin illicitus “not allowed, unlawful, illegal,” from assimilated form of in- “not, opposite of” (see in- (1)) + licitus “lawful,” past participle of licere “to be allowed” (see licence (n.)). Related: Illicitly.