Au·di·ence n.
  1. The act of hearing; attention to sounds.
     Thou, therefore, give due audience, and attend.   --Milton.
  2. Admittance to a hearing; a formal interview, esp. with a sovereign or the head of a government, for conference or the transaction of business.
  According to the fair play of the world,
  Let me have audience: I am sent to speak.   --Shak.
  3. An auditory; an assembly of hearers. Also applied by authors to their readers.
     Fit audience find, though few.   --Milton.
     He drew his audience upward to the sky.   --Dryden.
  Court of audience, or Audience court Eng., a court long since disused, belonging to the Archbishop of Canterbury; also, one belonging to the Archbishop of York. --Mozley & W.
  In general (or open) audience, publicly.
  To give audience, to listen; to admit to an interview.
  ◄ ►