Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

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.

Franchise \Fran"chise\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Franchised}; p. pr.
   & vb. n. {Franchising}.] [Cf. OF. franchir to free, F., to
   cross.]
   To make free; to enfranchise; to give liberty to. --Shak.

Source : WordNet®

franchise
     n 1: an authorization to sell a company's goods or services in a
          particular place
     2: a business established or operated under an authorization to
        sell or distribute a company's goods or services in a
        particular area [syn: {dealership}]
     3: a statutory right or privilege granted to a person or group
        by a government (especially the rights of citizenship and
        the right to vote) [syn: {enfranchisement}]

franchise
     v : grant a franchise to