Adjacent Words

Franchise definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

FRAN'CHISE, n. fran'chiz. [See Frank.] Properly, liberty, freedom. Hence,
1. A particular privilege or right granted by a prince or sovereign to an individual or to a number of persons; as the right to be a body corporate with perpetual succession; the right to hold a court leet or other court; to have waifs, wrecks, treasure-treve, or forfeitures. So the right to vote for governor, senators and representatives, is a franchise belonging to citizens, and not enjoyed by aliens. The right to establish a bank, is a franchise.
2. Exemption from a burden or duty to which others are subject.
3. The district or jurisdiction to which a particular privilege extends; the limits of an immunity.
4. An asylum or sanctuary, where persons are secure from arrest.
Churches and monasteries in Spain are franchises for criminals.
FRAN'CHISE, v.t. To make free; but enfranchise is more generally used.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an authorization to sell a company's goods or services in a particular place
2: a business established or operated under an authorization to sell or distribute a company's goods or services in a particular area [syn: franchise, dealership]
3: a statutory right or privilege granted to a person or group by a government (especially the rights of citizenship and the right to vote) [syn: franchise, enfranchisement] v
1: grant a franchise to

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from franchir to free, from franc free — more at frank Date: 14th century 1. freedom or immunity from some burden or restriction vested in a person or group 2. a. a special privilege granted to an individual or group; especially the right to be and exercise the powers of a corporation b. a constitutional or statutory right or privilege; especially the right to vote c. (1) the right or license granted to an individual or group to market a company's goods or services in a particular territory; also a business granted such a right or license (2) the territory involved in such a right 3. a. the right of membership in a professional sports league b. a team and its operating organization having such membership II. transitive verb (franchised; franchising) Date: 14th century 1. archaic free 2. to grant a franchise to

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a the right to vote at State (esp. parliamentary) elections. b the principle of qualification for this. 2 full membership of a corporation or State; citizenship. 3 authorization granted to an individual or group by a company to sell its goods or services in a particular way. 4 hist. legal immunity or exemption from a burden or jurisdiction. 5 a right or privilege granted to a person or corporation. --v.tr. grant a franchise to. Derivatives: franchisee n. franchiser n. (also franchisor). Etymology: ME f. OF f. franc, franche free: see FRANK

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Franchise Fran"chise (? or ?; 277), n. [F., fr. franc, fem. franche, free. See Frank, a.] 1. Exemption from constraint or oppression; freedom; liberty. [Obs.] --Spenser. 2. (LAw) A particular privilege conferred by grant from a sovereign or a government, and vested in individuals; an imunity or exemption from ordinary jurisdiction; a constitutional or statutory right or privilege, esp. the right to vote. Election by universal suffrage, as modified by the Constitution, is the one crowning franchise of the American people. --W. H. Seward. 3. The district or jurisdiction to which a particular privilege extends; the limits of an immunity; hence, an asylum or sanctuary. Churches and mobasteries in Spain are franchises for criminals. --London Encyc. 4. Magnanimity; generosity; liberality; frankness; nobility. ``Franchise in woman.'' [Obs.] --Chaucer. Elective franchise, the privilege or right of voting in an election of public officers.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Franchise Fran"chise, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Franchised; p. pr. & vb. n. Franchising.] [Cf. OF. franchir to free, F., to cross.] To make free; to enfranchise; to give liberty to. --Shak.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(franchises, franchising, franchised) 1. A franchise is an authority that is given by an organization to someone, allowing them to sell its goods or services or to take part in an activity which the organization controls. (BUSINESS) ...fast-food franchises... Talk to other franchise holders and ask them what they think of the parent company. N-COUNT: oft n N, N to n, N n 2. If a company franchises its business, it sells franchises to other companies, allowing them to sell its goods or services. (BUSINESS) She has recently franchised her business... It takes hundreds of thousands of dollars to get into the franchised pizza business. VERB: V n, V-ed • franchising One of the most important aspects of franchising is the reduced risk of business failure it offers to franchisees. N-UNCOUNT 3. Franchise is the right to vote in an election, especially one in which people elect a parliament. ...the introduction of universal franchise... The 1867 Reform Act extended the franchise to much of the male working class. N-UNCOUNT: also the N

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Right, privilege. 2. Immunity, exemption.

Moby Thesaurus

Australian ballot, Hare system, affranchise, authorize, aye, ballot, blank check, brevet, canvass, canvassing, carte blanche, casting vote, certificate, certify, charter, concession, copyright, counting heads, cumulative voting, deciding vote, diploma, diplomatic immunity, discharge, dispensation, division, empower, enable, enfranchise, enfranchisement, entitle, exception, exemption, fagot vote, favor, female suffrage, freedom, give official sanction, give power, grant, graveyard vote, hand vote, household franchise, immunity, indulgence, legalize, legislative immunity, legitimize, letters patent, liberty, license, list system, manhood suffrage, nay, no, nontransferable vote, patent, permission, plebiscite, plebiscitum, plumper, plural vote, poll, polling, preferential voting, privilege, proportional representation, proxy, ratify, record vote, referendum, release, representation, right to vote, rising vote, royal grant, sanction, say, secret ballot, show of hands, single vote, snap vote, special favor, straw vote, suffrage, suffragette, suffragettism, suffragism, suffragist, the vote, transferable vote, universal suffrage, validate, viva voce, voice, voice vote, vote, voting, voting right, warrant, woman-suffragist, write-in, write-in vote, yea, yeas and nays, yes