licit

See also: líčit

English edit

WOTD – 18 August 2008

From Latin licitus (“lawful”), perfect participle of licet (“[it] is permitted”, impersonal verb).

licit (comparative more licit, superlative most licit)

Not forbidden by formal or informal rules.
- Undated, Pope Honorius III Solet Annuere (anonymous translator),
  Let it not be in any way licit to anyone among men to infringe this page of our confirmation, or to contravene it with rash daring.
- 1896, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Chapter 4”, in Weir of Hermiston:
  You seem to have been very much offended because your father talks a little sculduddery after dinner, which it is perfectly licit for him to do, […]
- 2008 July 27, Jeremy Seabrook, “Obama and the illusion of leadership”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:
  [T]he vanity of efforts to deter humanity from following this licit and highly profitable mobility, clearly indicate the limits of their [leaders'] power.
(law) Explicitly established or constituted by law.
- 1913, Joseph Selinger, Catholic Encyclopedia, Moral and Canonical Aspect of Marriage:
  The contract validly made and consummated is dissolved by death alone. However, the Church must determine what is required for a valid and licit marriage contract.

Licit and valid are legal terms to be compared, especially in terms of canon law. Something that is licit (such as a marriage contract), may nonetheless be invalid, illegal or both (for example, a bigamous marriage), or vice versa.

not forbidden

legal term

licit m or n (feminine singular licită, masculine plural liciți, feminine and neuter plural licite)

Declension of licit