a. Also 5 licyte, lycite, -yte, 7 licite. [ad. L. licit-us (pa. pple. of licēre to be lawful, either directly, or through F. licite).] Allowable, permitted, lawful.
1483. Caxton, Cato, A v b. She [the wife] ought to … obeye to hym in al thynges lycite and honeste. Ibid. (1490), Eneydos, xix. 70. To a peple yssued out of strange lande, is licyte to seke strange places for theyr dwellynge.
1587. Fleming, Contn. Holinshed, III. 388/1. Such a thing is not licit to a particular.
1656. Blount, Glossogr., Licite, lawful, granted.
1757. Herald, No. 4 (1758), I. 54. Whether in our exchange commodities with Holland, the ballance is for or against us in licit trade.
1826. Lamb, Lett., xvi. To B. Barton, 147. A friend’s wife, whom I really love (… I mean in a licit way).
1864. R. F. Burton, Dahome, I. 116. The natives of Whydah give the licit dealer scanty encouragement.
1884. Contemp. Rev., Feb., 259. Abstinence … from things in themselves licit.
1892. TimesTimes, 11 Feb., 9/4. The consumption of licit or duty-paid opium.
1897. Baring-Gould, in Expositor, Sept., 203. To obtain the recognition of Christianity apart from Judaism as a licit religion in the empire.
Hence Licitly, in a licit manner, lawfully; Licitness, the quality of being licit, lawfulness.
1483. Caxton, Cato, B ij. Thow oughtest to thynke ofte how … lycytly thou shalt mowe come to thyn intention.
1788. R. Harris (title), Scriptural Researches on the Licitness of the Slave Trade.
1806. Throckmorton, Consid., 38. The question may be licitly discussed on the ground of expediency.
1855. R. Boyle, Case with Wiseman, 27. Whether he could deprive me of saying Mass licitly.
1881. Sala, in Illustr. Lond. News, 7 May, 443. Not so much as a glass of lager beer could the privates licitly obtain.
1884. Catholic Dict., 629/2. To receive holy orders … licitly, it is necessary to be in a state of grace.
