franchise
/franchiz/ • noun 1 an authorization granted by a government or company to an individual or group enabling them to carry out specified commercial activities. 2 a business or service granted such a franchise. 3 the right to vote in public elections. 4 N. Amer. an authorization given by a professional league to own a sports team. 5 N. Amer. informal a team granted such a franchise. • verb 1 grant a franchise to. 2 grant a franchise for (goods or a service). — DERIVATIVES franchisee noun franchiser (also franchisor) noun. — ORIGIN originally denoting a grant of legal immunity: from Old French, from franc ‘free’.
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