franchise
pronunciation
How to pronounce franchise in British English:
UK [ˈfræntʃaɪz]
How to pronounce franchise in American English:
US [ˈfræntʃaɪz]
-
- Noun:
- an authorization to sell a company's goods or services in a particular place
- a business established or operated under an authorization to sell or distribute a company's goods or services in a particular area
- a statutory right or privilege granted to a person or group by a government (especially the rights of citizenship and the right to vote)
-
- Verb:
- grant a franchise to
Word Origin
- franchise
- franchise: [13] Originally, franchise meant ‘freedom’ (as it still does in French today): ‘We will for our franchise fight and for our land’, Robert of Gloucester’s Chronicle 1297. Gradually, though, it became more specialized in sense, narrowing down via ‘particular legal privilege’ to (in the 18th century) ‘right to vote’. It comes from Old French franchise, a derivative of franc ‘free’ (whence English frank).=> frank
- franchise (n.)
- c. 1300, fraunchise, "a special right or privilege (by grant of a sovereign or government);" also "national sovereignty; nobility of character, generosity; the king's authority; the collective rights claimed by a people or town or religious institution," also used of the state of Adam and Eve before the Fall, from Old French franchise "freedom, exemption; right, privilege" (12c.), from variant stem of franc "free" (see frank (adj.)). From late 14c. as "freedom; not being in servitude; social status of a freeman;" early 15c. as "citizenship, membership in a community or town; membership in a craft or guild." The "special right" sense narrowed 18c. to "particular legal privilege," then "right to vote" (1790). From mid-15c. as "right to buy or sell," also "right to exclude others from buying or selling, a monopoly;" meaning "authorization by a company to sell its products or services" is from 1959.
- franchise (v.)
- late 14c., "to make free," from Old French franchiss-, past participle stem of franchir "to free" (12c.), from franc "free" (see frank (adj.)). Franchising is from 1570s; the commercial licensing sense is from 1966. Related: Franchisee; franchiser; franchisor.
Example
- 1. A diminished franchise is not only bad for shareholders .
- 2. No other chinese international franchise has done as well .
- 3. Microsoft 's windows franchise has been a huge cash generator for years .
- 4. One such monopoly is the jockey club , which owns the gambling franchise .
- 5. It announced franchise plans for russia this year .