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Authority

//əˈθɔɹədi// noun

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Power or right to make or enforce rules, give orders, or impose obligation; or a position having such power or right. uncountable

    "I have the authority to penalise the staff in my department, but not the authority to sack them."

  2. 2
    official permission or approval wordnet
  3. 3
    Persons, regarded collectively, who occupy official positions of power; police or law enforcement. countable, plural, uncountable

    "Authorities say the suspect fled on foot."

  4. 4
    the power or right to give orders or make decisions wordnet
  5. 5
    A reliable, definitive source of information on a subject. countable

    "the world's foremost authority on orangutans"

Show 8 more definitions
  1. 6
    freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities wordnet
  2. 7
    Status as a trustworthy source of information, reputation for mastery or expertise; or claim to such status or reputation. uncountable

    "Due to being inadequate for the deductive method of reasoning, the argument from authority is considered a logical fallacy."

  3. 8
    an authoritative written work wordnet
  4. 9
    Official permission; authorisation to act in some capacity on behalf of a ruling entity. uncountable

    "Authority to construct eight carriages, to test the new design in public service, had already been given; but of course complete working drawings had first to be prepared."

  5. 10
    an administrative unit of government wordnet
  6. 11
    A government-owned agency that runs a revenue-generating activity for public benefit. countable

    "New York Port Authority"

  7. 12
    an expert whose views are taken as definitive wordnet
  8. 13
    (usually plural) persons who exercise (administrative) control over others wordnet

Etymology

From Middle English auctorite, autorite (“authority, book or quotation that settles an argument”), from Old French auctorité, from Latin stem of auctōritās (“invention, advice, opinion, influence, command”), from auctor (“master, leader, author”). For the presence of the h, compare the etymology of author.

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