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.