authority
Pronunciation: /ɔːˈθɒɹəti/
The English word “authority” has 6 meanings listed here.
noun
- Power or right to make or enforce rules, give orders, or impose obligation; or a position having such power or right.
- Persons, regarded collectively, who occupy official positions of power; police or law enforcement.
- A reliable, definitive source of information on a subject.
- Status as a trustworthy source of information, reputation for mastery or expertise; or claim to such status or reputation.
- Official permission; authorisation to act in some capacity on behalf of a ruling entity.
- A government-owned agency that runs a revenue-generating activity for public benefit.
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.
Keep exploring: in the interactive dictionary every word of a definition is a link. Open “authority” there
More English words
- authoritatively
- authoritativeness
- authoritativity
- authorities
- authority control
- authority figure
- authority issues
- authorityless
About this dictionary
The English dictionary on Glottosphere has 650,529 entries with a page. Browse the English dictionary.
Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.