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A silver coin of France, and since 1795 the unit of the French monetary system. It has been adopted by Belgium and Swizerland. It is equivalent to about nineteen cents, or ten pence, and is divided into 100 centimes.

A French partisan soldier, or one belonging to a corps of detached light troops engaged in forays, skirmishes, scouting, etc.

ote. Election by universal suffrage, as modified by the Constitution, is the one crowning franchise of the American people. W. H. Seward.

Release; deliverance; freedom. Spenser.

Pertaining to the Franks, or their language; Frankish.

Belonging to the Order of St. Francis of the Franciscans. Franciscan Brothers, pious laymen who devote themselves to useful works, such as manual labor schools, and other educational institutions; -- called also Brothers of the Third Order of St. Francis. -- Franciscan Nuns, nuns who follow the rule of t. Francis, esp…

A spurred partidge of the genus Francolinus and allied genera, of Asia and Africa. The common species (F. vulgaris) was formerly common in southern Europe, but is now nearly restricted to Asia.

A variety of apatite from Wheal Franco in Devonshire.

To make free; to enfranchise. Johnson.

The act of making free; enfranchisement. [R.]

See Disfranchise, Disfranchisement.

To disfranchise; to deprive of the rights of a citizen. -- Dis`en*fran"chise*ment, n.

To deprive of a franchise or chartered right; to dispossess of the rights of a citizen, or of a particular privilege, as of voting, holding office, etc. Sir William Fitzwilliam was disfranchised. Fabyan (1509). He was partially disfranchised so as to be made incapable of taking part in public affairs. Thirlwall.…

The act of disfranchising, or the state disfranchised; deprivation of privileges of citizenship or of chartered immunities. Sentenced first to dismission from the court, and then to disfranchisement and expulsion from the colony. Palfrey.

To enfranchise.

To endow with a franchise; to incorporate into a body politic and thus to invest with civil and political privileges; to admit to the privileges of a freeman.

dom of a corporation or body politic; investiture with the privileges of free citizens. Enfranchisement of copyhold (Eng. Law), the conversion of a copyhold estate into a freehold. Mozley & W.

One who enfranchises.

See Enfranchise.

The commercial language of the Levant, -- a mixture of the language of the people of the region and foreign traders.