licet

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *likēt, from a root of the shape *leyk-, with no certain cognates outside of Italic. Cognate with liceor, liceō, Oscan 𐌋𐌝𐌊𐌝𐌕𐌖𐌃 (líkítud, “it is permitted”); outside of Italic, compare perhaps Lithuanian reikė́ti (“to need”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈli.ket/, [ˈlʲɪkɛt̪]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈli.t͡ʃet/, [ˈliːt͡ʃet̪]

Verb

licet (present infinitive licēre, perfect active licuit or licitus est, supine licitum); second conjugation, third person-only, optionally semi-deponent

1. (with dative) to be allowed; to be permitted

   Licetne pauca?

   May I speak a word with you?

   (literally, “Are a few [words] permitted?”)

   Quod licet Iovī, nōn licet bovī

   Gods may do what cattle may not

   (literally, “What is permissible for Jupiter is not permissible for an ox”)

   • 16 BCE, Ovid, The Loves 3.4:

     Cui peccare licet, peccat minus.

     To whom it is allowed to sin, sins less.

2. (impersonal, with subjunctive or, post-classically, indicative) although, even if
   • Juvenal, Saturae 1.105:

     licet ipse negam

     even if I were to deny it

Conjugation

   Conjugation of licet (second conjugation, third person-only, optionally semi-deponent)

indicative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	—		—		licet		—		—		licent
	imperfect	—		—		licēbat		—		—		licēbant
	future	—		—		licēbit		—		—		licēbunt
	perfect	—		—		licuit, licitus est		—		—		licuērunt, licuēre, licitī sunt
	pluperfect	—		—		licuerat, licitus erat		—		—		licuerant, licitī erant
	future perfect	—		—		licuerit, licitus erit		—		—		licuerint, licitī erint
	sigmatic future1	—		—		licēssit		—		—		licēssint
subjunctive		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	—		—		liceat		—		—		liceant
	imperfect	—		—		licēret		—		—		licērent
	perfect	—		—		licuerit, licitus sit		—		—		licuerint, licitī sint
	pluperfect	—		—		licuisset, licitus esset		—		—		licuissent, licitī essent
	sigmatic aorist1	—		—		licēssīt		—		—		licēssint
imperative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	future	—		—		licētō		—		—		licentō
non-finite forms		infinitive						participle
		active			passive			active			passive
present		licēre			—			licēns			—
future		licitūrum esse			—			licitūrus			licendum
perfect		licuisse, licitum esse			—			licitus			—
future perfect		licitum fore			—			—			—
perfect potential		licitūrum fuisse			—			—			—
verbal nouns		gerund								supine
		genitive		dative		accusative		ablative		accusative		ablative
		licendī		licendō		licendum		licendō		licitum		licitū

¹At least one use of the Old Latin "sigmatic future" and "sigmatic aorist" tenses is attested, which are used by Old Latin writers; most notably Plautus and Terence. The sigmatic future is generally ascribed a future or future perfect meaning, while the sigmatic aorist expresses a possible desire ("might want to").

Derived terms

• licēns
• licitus
• īlicet
• scīlicet
• vidēlicet

Descendants

• Franco-Provençal: lêsir
• Old French: loisir, leisir, licence
  • French: loisir, loisible
  • Angevin: laisir, laisible
  • Gallo: laisir, laisible
  • Norman: leisir, leisible
    • → English: leisure, license
  • → Old Galician-Portuguese: lezer
    • Galician: lecer
    • Portuguese: lazer
• Old Irish: liced, ced
  • Irish: cead

References

• “licet”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “licet”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• licet in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • this much I can vouch for: illud pro certo affirmare licet
    
  • allow me to say: pace tua dixerim or dicere liceat
    
  • I have no objection: per me licet
    
• Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 669