the power to determine, adjudicate, or otherwise settle issues or disputes; jurisdiction; the right to control, command, or determine.
2.
a power or right delegated or given; authorization: Who has the authority to grant permission?
3.
a person or body of persons in whom authority is vested, as a governmental agency.
4.
Usually, authorities.persons having the legal power to make and enforce the law; government: They finally persuaded the authorities that they were not involved in espionage.
5.
an accepted source of information, advice, etc.
6.
a quotation or citation from such a source.
7.
an expert on a subject: He is an authority on baseball.
8.
persuasive force; conviction: She spoke with authority.
9.
a statute, court rule, or judicial decision that establishes a rule or principle of law; a ruling.
10.
right to respect or acceptance of one's word, command, thought, etc.; commanding influence: the authority of a parent; the authority of a great writer.
11.
mastery in execution or performance, as of a work of art or literature or a piece of music.
12.
a warrant for action; justification.
13.
testimony; witness.
[Origin: 1200–50; earlier auct(h)oritie < L auctōritās; r. ME autorite < OF < L. See author, -ity]
—Synonyms 1. rule, power, sway. Authority,control,influence denote a power or right to direct the actions or thoughts of others. Authority is a power or right, usually because of rank or office, to issue commands and to punish for violations: to have authority over subordinates. Control is either power or influence applied to the complete and successful direction or manipulation of persons or things: to be in control of a project. Influence is a personal and unofficial power derived from deference of others to one's character, ability, or station; it may be exerted unconsciously or may operate through persuasion: to have influence over one's friends. 3. sovereign, arbiter.
c.1230, autorite "book or quotation that settles an argument," from O.Fr. auctorité, from L. auctoritatem (nom. auctoritas) "invention, advice, opinion, influence, command," from auctor "author" (see author). Usually spelled with a -c- in Eng. till 16c., when it was dropped, in imitation of the Fr. Meaning "power to enforce obedience" is from 1393; meaning "people in authority" is from 1611. Authoritative first recorded 1609. Authoritarian is recorded from 1879.
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"
2.
(usually plural) persons who exercise (administrative) control over others; "the authorities have issued a curfew"
3.
an expert whose views are taken as definitive; "he is an authority on corporate law"
4.
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" [syn: assurance]
5.
an administrative unit of government; "the Central Intelligence Agency"; "the Census Bureau"; "Office of Management and Budget"; "Tennessee Valley Authority" [syn: agency]
6.
official permission or approval; "authority for the program was renewed several times"
7.
an authoritative written work; "this book is the final authority on the life of Milton"
A government organization created to perform a certain function. A state or region, for example, may establish a public power authority to provide low-cost electricity to
people living in a certain geographical area. The activities of an authority and its fundraising methods are ordinarily limited.
Main Entry: au·thor·i·ty Function: noun Inflected Form: plural-ties 1: an official decision of a court used esp. as a
precedent 2 a: a power to act esp. over others that derives from status, position, or office <the authority of the president>; also:JURISDICTIONb: the power to act that is officially or formally granted (as by statute, corporate bylaw, or court
order) <within the scope of the treasurer's authority> <police officers executing a warrant…are not required to “knock and announce” their authority and
purposes before entering —National Law Journal> c: power and capacity to act granted by someone in a position of control; specifically: the power to act
granted by a principal to his or her agent
actual authority : the authority that a principal in reality has granted to an agentactual express authority : the
actual authority of an agent specifically stated or written by the principalactual implied authority : the actual authority of an agent that the principal has not specified but
has purposely or through negligence allowed the agent to believe has been grantedapparent authority : the authority that a principal purposely or through negligence allows a third
party to believe that the principal's agent has although such authority has not in reality been granted called also authority by estoppelostensible authority NOTE: A principal is
bound by the acts of an agent acting with apparent authority.express authority : authority that is explicitly granted to an agent by a principal called also expressed
authoritystipulated authorityimplied authority : the authority to perform acts that are customary, necessary, and understood by an agent as authorized in performing
acts for which the principal has given express authorityostensible authority :APPARENT AUTHORITY
in this entrystipulated authority :EXPRESS AUTHORITY in this entry 3: a person
in a position of power and esp. a public office —usually used in pl. <the local authorities> 4 a: a government agency or corporation that administers a
revenue-producing public enterprise <the transit authority> b: a government agency or public office responsible for an area of regulation <should apply for a permit to
the permitting authority>
![[P]](http://cache.lexico.com/g/d/premium_mh.gif){kind=small}
Audio Help [uh-thawr-i-tee, uh-thor-] Pronunciation Key 
