Etymograph

English

franchise

Franchise comes from Old French franchise ‘freedom’, from franc ‘free’, and ultimately from Latin Francus.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEFrancus1
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400franc2‘free’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400franchise2‘freedom’derivative of franc
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500franchise2‘freedom, franchise’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1596franchise2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Old French franc
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English franchise
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1596, Edmund Spenser, Book IV, Canto IX: “Ye[…]the love of ladies foule defame; To whom the…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEFrancusWiktionary, Old French franc
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400francWiktionary, English franchise‘free’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400franchiseWiktionary, English franchise‘freedom’derivative of franc
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500franchiseWiktionary, English franchise‘freedom, franchise’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1596franchiseWiktionary, English franchise. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1596, Edmund Spenser, Book IV, Canto IX: “Ye[…]the love of ladies foule defame; To whom the…”

Linked words

through Old French franc ‘free’

frank, 5 more

Another origin of franchise

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEFrancus
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400franc‘free’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400franchir‘to set free’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500franchisen
  5. Englishtodayfranchise

Today it means

noun The right to vote at a public election or referendum; see: suffrage.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “franchise”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Old French franc. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin Francus / franchise

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