enfranchise
[ en-fran-chahyz ]
/ ɛnˈfræn tʃaɪz /
verb (used with object), en·fran·chised, en·fran·chis·ing.
to grant a franchise to; admit to citizenship, especially to the right of voting.
to endow (a city, constituency, etc.) with municipal or parliamentary rights.
to set free; liberate, as from slavery.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
enfold, enforce, enforceable, enforcement, enforcer, enfranchise, enfranchisement, eng, eng., eng. d., engadine
Also franchise.
Origin of enfranchise
Related formsen·fran·chise·ment [en-fran-chahyz-muh nt, -chiz-] /ɛnˈfræn tʃaɪz mənt, -tʃɪz-/, nounen·fran·chis·er, nounun·en·fran·chised, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for enfranchise
British Dictionary definitions for enfranchise
enfranchise
/ (ɪnˈfræntʃaɪz) /
verb (tr)
to grant the power of voting to, esp as a right of citizenship
to liberate, as from servitude
(in England) to invest (a town, city, etc) with the right to be represented in Parliament
English law to convert (leasehold) to freehold
Derived Formsenfranchisement, nounenfranchiser, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for enfranchise
enfranchise
early 15c., "to set free," from Old French enfranchiss-, present participle stem of enfranchir "to set or make free; grant a franchise to;" from en- "make, put in" (see en- (1)) + franc "free" (see franchise).
Meaning "to admit to membership in a state" (generally with reference to voting privileges) is from 1680s. Related: Enfranchised; enfranchisement.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper