Licentiate is the title of a person who holds an academic degree known as a licence or a licentiate. The term derives from Latin licentia, "freedom" (from Latin licere, "to allow"), which is applied in the phrases licentia docendi meaning permission to teach and licentia ad practicandum signifying someone who holds a certificate of competence to practise a profession. Many countries have degrees with this title, but they may represent different educational levels. In some universities it is a degree between that of bachelor and master or doctor; in some countries it is comparable to a doctorate of philosophy (PhD).