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.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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