Also 6–8 -iat. [f. med.L. licentiāt-, ppl. stem of licentiāre, f. licentia LICENCE.]
1. trans. To give liberty to; to allow, permit (something) to (a person); to allow (a person) to (do something) or that (etc.). ? Obs.
1560. Rolland, Crt. Venus, III. 138. I ȝow protest, ȝe wald me licenciat … That I may [etc.].
1637. Gillespie, Eng.-Pop. Cerem., II. iv. 22. Faithfull men … have neither a doore of enterance, nor a doore of utterance licentiated to them.
1650. Durye, Just Re-prop., 21. They rashly licentiat themselves unto many things.
1660. N. Ingelo, Bentivolio & Urania, I. (1682), 84. Their Chief Office is to licentiate Hypocrisie.
a. 1693. Urquhart’s Rabelais, III. xiii. 101. The Nurses … are licentiated to recreate their Fancies.
1706. Maule, Hist. Picts, in Misc. Scot., I. 28. The Scots willingly licenciat them that habitation.
a. 1711. Ken, Hymnotheo, Poet. Wks. 1721, III. 47. ’Tis Jesus Will that Angel to ordain, The Tyrant to licentiate or restrain.
1791–1823. D’Israeli, Cur. Lit. (1866), 293/1. They were licentiated to go a begging.
† b. To give a licence to; to license. Obs.
1632. Lithgow, Trav., VIII. 367. They openly Lycentiat three thousand common Stewes.
† 2. To grant (a person) a licence or faculty, e.g., to practise medicine. Obs.
1650. H. Brooke, Conserv. Health, To Rdr. A iij. Bred up in … that Faculty and licentiated in the practise theroff.
3. nonce-use. [After F. licencier or It. licenciare.] To discharge (a servant).
1820. Byron, Lett., in Eng. Stud., XXV. 149. You may give up the house immediately, and licentiate the Servitors.
Hence Licentiating vbl. sb.
1676. W. Row, Contn. Blair’s Autobiog., xii. (1848), 528. He spoke against the way of licentiating.
1694. R. L’Estrange, Fables, xxxviii. (1714), 48. The Licentiating of anything that is Course and Vulgar.
