AUTHORITY

authority, authorization, authorisation, sanction

(noun) official permission or approval; “authority for the program was renewed several times”

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”

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”

authority

(noun) an authoritative written work; “this book is the final authority on the life of Milton”

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

(noun) an expert whose views are taken as definitive; “he is an authority on corporate law”

authority

(noun) (usually plural) persons who exercise (administrative) control over others; “the authorities have issued a curfew”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

authority (countable and uncountable, plural authorities)

(uncountable) The power to enforce rules or give orders.

(used in singular or plural form) Persons in command; specifically, government.

(countable) A person accepted as a source of reliable information on a subject.

Government-owned agency which runs a revenue-generating activity.

Source: Wiktionary

Au*thor"i*ty, n.; pl. Authorities (. Etym: [OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorité, fr. L. auctoritas, fr. auctor. See Author, n.]

1. 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. Thus can the demigod, Authority, Make us pay down for our offense. Shak. By what authority doest thou these things Matt. xxi. 23.

2. Government; the persons or the body exercising power or command; as, the local authorities of the States; the military authorities. [Chiefly in the plural.]

3. 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.

4. That which, or one who, is claimed or appealed to in support of opinions, actions, measures, etc. Hence: (a) Testimony; witness. "And on that high authority had believed." Milton. (b) A precedent; a decision of a court, an official declaration, or an opinion, saying, or statement worthy to be taken as a precedent. (c) A book containing such a statement or opinion, or the author of the book. (d) Justification; warrant. Wilt thou be glass wherein it shall discern Authority for sin, warrant for blame. Shak.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition