authority

English Online Dictionary. What means authority‎? What does authority mean?

English

Alternative forms

• authourity, authoritie, autority, auctoritie (obsolete)

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.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɔːˈθɒɹəti/, /ɔːˈθɒɹɪti/
• (US) IPA^(key): /əˈθɔɹəti/, [əˈθɔɹəɾi], /əˈθɔɹti/, [əˈθɔɹɾi], /əˈθɑɹəti/, [əˈθɑɹəɾi], /əˈθɑɹti/, [əˈθɑɹɾi]
• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /ɒːˈtɒɹɪti/
• Hyphenation: au‧thor‧i‧ty
• Rhymes: -ɒɹɪti

Noun

authority (countable and uncountable, plural authorities)

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

   Synonyms: command, rulership, sovereignty
2. (plural) Persons, regarded collectively, who occupy official positions of power; police or law enforcement.
3. (countable) A reliable, definitive source of information on a subject.
   • 1930 September 18, Albert Einstein, as quoted in Albert Einstein: Creator and Rebel (1988) by Banesh Hoffman:

     To punish me for my contempt of authority, Fate has made me an authority myself.

4. (uncountable) Status as a trustworthy source of information, reputation for mastery or expertise; or claim to such status or reputation.

   Synonyms: gravitas, (informal) cred

5. (uncountable) Official permission; authorisation to act in some capacity on behalf of a ruling entity.
6. (countable) A government-owned agency that runs a revenue-generating activity for public benefit.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

See also

• have something on good authority

References

• “authority”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• authority in Keywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary, edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “authority”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “authority”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.