From Middle English permitten, borrowed from Middle French permettre, from Latin permittō, from per ("through") + mittō ("send").

• (America) IPA: /pɚˈmɪt/

  (RP) IPA: /pəˈmɪt/

  (America) IPA: /ˈpɝmɪt/

  (RP) IPA: /ˈpɜːmɪt/

permit (third-person singular simple present permits, present participle permitting, simple past and past participle permitted)

1. (transitive) To allow (something) to happen, to give permission for. [from 15th c.]
   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC ↗, page 48 ↗:

     Mr. Cooke at once began a tirade against the residents of Asquith for permitting a sandy and generally disgraceful condition of the roads. So roundly did he vituperate the inn management in particular, and with such a loud flow of words, that I trembled lest he should be heard on the veranda.

2. (transitive) To allow (someone) to do something; to give permission to. [from 15th c.]
3. (intransitive) To allow for, to make something possible. [from 16th c.]
4. (intransitive) To allow, to admit (of). [from 18th c.]
   • 1910, Saki [pseudonym; Hector Hugh Munro], “Reginald in Russia”, in Reginald in Russia and Other Sketches, London: Methuen & Co. […], →OCLC ↗, page 4 ↗:

     "You English are always so frivolous," said the Princess. "In Russia we have too many troubles to permit of our being light-hearted."

     per
5. (transitive, pronounced like noun) To grant formal authorization for (something).

   The Building Department permitted that project last week.

6. (transitive, pronounced like noun) To attempt to obtain or succeed in obtaining formal authorization for (something).

   We've been busy permitting the State Street development.

7. (now archaic, rare) To hand over, resign (something to someone). [from 15th c.]
   • 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC ↗, Act I, scene i, page 6 ↗:

     Let us not aggravate our sorrows, / But to the gods permit the event of things.

• French: permettre
• German: erlauben, genehmigen, zulassen
• Italian: permettere, autorizzare
• Portuguese: permitir, deixar
• Russian: позволя́ть
• Spanish: permitir

permit (plural permits)

1. An artifact or document rendering something allowed or legal. [from 17th c.]

   A construction permit can be obtained from the town offices.

   Go over to the park office and get a permit for the #3 shelter.

   1. A learner's permit.
2. (obsolete) Formal permission. [16th]

• French: permis, permission
• German: Genehmigung, Erlaubnis
• Italian: permesso, autorizzazione
• Portuguese: permissão, autorização, licença, aval
• Russian: разреше́ние
• Spanish: permiso

• permission
• mission

An irregular borrowing from , probably from a Doric variant of .

• (America) IPA: /ˈpɝmɪt/
• (RP) IPA: /ˈpɜːmɪt/

permit (plural permit)

1. A pompano of the species Trachinotus falcatus.