Origin: Latin suffix -ence
Licence has 6 different meanings across 2 categories:
Standard spelling of license.
"The clerk handed me my driving licence after verifying my documents."
In plain English: A licence is an official permission that lets you do something specific by law.
"He showed his driver's licence to the police officer."
Usage: Use "licence" as the noun form in British English to refer to official permission or authorization. In American English, always spell this same noun as "license."
Alternative form of license
"The old British dictionary listed several alternative spellings, noting that licence was simply an older variant of the word we use today."
In plain English: To give someone official permission to do something.
"The manager decided to licence the new franchise for the local area."
Usage: Use "licence" only when spelling it as "license" to mean granting permission or authority in British English; otherwise, use "license" as both the noun and the verb in American English. In modern usage, treat the word as a verb meaning to permit or authorize an action.
Derived from Old French licence, which comes from Latin licentia meaning "freedom" or "permission." The term originally referred to an official authorization granting liberty to do something.