Enfranchisement

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Enfranchisement \En*fran"chise*ment\, n.
     1. Releasing from slavery or custody. --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Admission to the freedom of a corporation or body politic;
        investiture with the privileges of free citizens.


        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Enfranchisement of copyhold} (Eng. Law), the conversion of a
        copyhold estate into a freehold. --Mozley & W.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  enfranchisement
       n 1: freedom from political subjugation or servitude
       2: 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: {franchise}]
       3: the act of certifying or bestowing a franchise on [syn: {certification}]
          [ant: {disenfranchisement}]