enfranchisement

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

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}, {enfranchisement}]
    3: the act of certifying or bestowing a franchise on [syn:
       {certification}, {enfranchisement}] [ant:
       {disenfranchisement}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

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]

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