What does authority mean?
Definitions for authority
əˈθɔr ɪ ti, əˈθɒr-au·thor·i·ty
Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word authority.
Princeton's WordNet
authority, authorization, authorisation, potency, dominance, say-so(noun)
the power or right to give orders or make decisions
"he has the authority to issue warrants"; "deputies are given authorization to make arrests"; "a place of potency in the state"
authority(noun)
(usually plural) persons who exercise (administrative) control over others
"the authorities have issued a curfew"
authority(noun)
an expert whose views are taken as definitive
"he is an authority on corporate law"
assurance, self-assurance, confidence, self-confidence, authority, sureness(noun)
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
"his assurance in his superiority did not make him popular"; "after that failure he lost his confidence"; "she spoke with authority"
agency, federal agency, government agency, bureau, office, authority(noun)
an administrative unit of government
"the Central Intelligence Agency"; "the Census Bureau"; "Office of Management and Budget"; "Tennessee Valley Authority"
authority, authorization, authorisation, sanction(noun)
official permission or approval
"authority for the program was renewed several times"
authority(noun)
an authoritative written work
"this book is the final authority on the life of Milton"
Wiktionary
authority(Noun)
The power to enforce rules or give orders.
Etymology: autorite, from auctorité, from stem of auctoritas, from auctor
authority(Noun)
Persons in command; specifically, government.
Etymology: autorite, from auctorité, from stem of auctoritas, from auctor
authority(Noun)
A person accepted as a source of reliable information on a subject.
The world's foremost authority on orangutans.
Etymology: autorite, from auctorité, from stem of auctoritas, from auctor
Webster Dictionary
Authority(noun)
legal or rightful power; a right to command or to act; power exercised buy a person in virtue of his office or trust; dominion; jurisdiction; authorization; as, the authority of a prince over subjects, and of parents over children; the authority of a court
Etymology: [OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorit, fr. L. auctoritas, fr. auctor. See Author, n.]
Authority(noun)
government; the persons or the body exercising power or command; as, the local authorities of the States; the military authorities
Etymology: [OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorit, fr. L. auctoritas, fr. auctor. See Author, n.]
Authority(noun)
the power derived from opinion, respect, or esteem; influence of character, office, or station, or mental or moral superiority, and the like; claim to be believed or obeyed; as, an historian of no authority; a magistrate of great authority
Etymology: [OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorit, fr. L. auctoritas, fr. auctor. See Author, n.]
Authority(noun)
that which, or one who, is claimed or appealed to in support of opinions, actions, measures, etc
Etymology: [OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorit, fr. L. auctoritas, fr. auctor. See Author, n.]
Authority(noun)
testimony; witness
Etymology: [OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorit, fr. L. auctoritas, fr. auctor. See Author, n.]
Authority(noun)
a precedent; a decision of a court, an official declaration, or an opinion, saying, or statement worthy to be taken as a precedent
Etymology: [OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorit, fr. L. auctoritas, fr. auctor. See Author, n.]
Authority(noun)
a book containing such a statement or opinion, or the author of the book
Etymology: [OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorit, fr. L. auctoritas, fr. auctor. See Author, n.]
Authority(noun)
justification; warrant
Etymology: [OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorit, fr. L. auctoritas, fr. auctor. See Author, n.]
Freebase
Authority
The word authority is derived from the Latin word auctoritas, meaning invention, advice, opinion, influence, or command. In English, the word authority can be used to mean power given by the state or by academic knowledge of an area. The word Authority with capital A refers to the governing body upon which such authority is vested; for example, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority or the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Authority
awth-or′it-i, n. legal power or right: power derived from office or character: weight of testimony: permission:—pl. Author′ities, precedents: opinions or sayings carrying weight: persons in power.—adj. Author′itative, having the sanction or weight of authority: dictatorial.—adv. Author′itatively.—n. Author′itativeness. [L. auctoritatem, auctoritas, auctor.]
Dictionary of Nautical Terms
authority
The legal power or right of commanding.
Military Dictionary and Gazetteer
authority
In a general acceptation of the term, signifies a right to command and a consequent right to be obeyed. For the appointment of officers of the U. S. army, see Appointing Power. It appears that the sovereigns of Great Britain and other nations have the power to appoint and dismiss officers at pleasure.
Editors Contribution
authority
Official right to make a specific decision.
They do have the authority to create legislation.
Submitted by MaryC on February 5, 2020
Suggested Resources
authority
The authority symbol -- In this Symbols.com article you will learn about the meaning of the authority symbol and its characteristic.
British National Corpus
Spoken Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'authority' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #514
Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'authority' in Written Corpus Frequency: #697
Nouns Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'authority' in Nouns Frequency: #77
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of authority in Chaldean Numerology is: 4
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of authority in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2
Examples of authority in a Sentence
It is to prevent what has happened in other cities like Portland and Washington, DC, if people, knowingly violate the law, knowingly thumb their nose at authority and don't do what authorities have requested they do, they should be charged with a serious crime.
They are the last remaining significant regulatory authority that has not pulled the plug on this aircraft, they are outliers. Its putting a lot of pressure on them, Im sure.
The Palestinian Authority is not interested in matters deteriorating, because then they would be swallowed up in the cloud of violence and the fire and terror that is liable to develop.
I acted pursuant to my Constitutional authority to conduct foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive.
I said 13 years ago it was a mistake to give Vice President the authority to go to war if, in fact, Vice President couldn't get inspectors into Iraq to stop what was thought to be the attempt to get a nuclear weapon. It was a mistake.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
Translations for authority
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- gesagAfrikaans
- سلطةArabic
- дәүләт, хөкүмәтBashkir
- ўладаBelarusian
- познавач, власт, авторитет, властиBulgarian
- autoritaCzech
- myndighedDanish
- Autorität, BehördeGerman
- ŋusẽEwe
- αρχές, αυθεντία, εξουσία, αρχήGreek
- instanco, aŭtoritatoEsperanto
- autoridadSpanish
- võim, asjatundjaEstonian
- viranomaiset, asiantuntija, käskyvalta, vaikutusvalta, auktoriteettiFinnish
- autoritéFrench
- údarás, urlámhasIrish
- ùghdarrasScottish Gaelic
- autoridadeGalician
- סמכות, בר-סמכא, רשויותHebrew
- meghatalmazás, szaktekintély, hatóság, tekintéy, felhatalmazásHungarian
- հեղինակությունArmenian
- autoritàItalian
- סמכותHebrew
- 権力, 権威, 当局Japanese
- 권력자, 권력, 권능, 권위자Korean
- دهسهڵات, بهردهستیKurdish
- ыйгарым укук, кадыр, беделдүүлүк, чоңдор, түп, уруксат, кадырлуулук, бийлик, авторитет, негиз, авторитеттүүлүк, кадыр-барк, башчы, бедел, билгичKyrgyz
- auctoritatisLatin
- AutoritéitLuxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- kanoiMāori
- awtoritá, awtoritarju, awtoritarjaMaltese
- bevoegdheid, autoriteiten, autoriteit, gezagDutch
- autoritetNorwegian
- autorytet, władzaPolish
- autoridadePortuguese
- autoritate, autoritățiRomanian
- авторитет, властьRussian
- avtoritetaSlovene
- autoritetAlbanian
- auktoritet, myndighetSwedish
- mamlakaSwahili
- அதிகாரம்Tamil
- అధికారముTelugu
- yetkeTurkish
- владаUkrainian
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"authority." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2021. Web. 26 Feb. 2021. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/authority>.