authority Hear it!

authority Definition

au·thor·ity (ə t̸hôr′ə tē, -t̸här′-)

noun pl. -·ties

    1. the power or right to give commands, enforce obedience, take action, or make final decisions; jurisdiction
    2. the position of one having such power a person in authority
  2. such power as delegated to another; authorization; warrant he has my authority to do it
  3. power or influence resulting from knowledge, prestige, etc.
    1. the citation of a writing, decision, etc. in support of an opinion, action, etc.
    2. the writing, etc. cited
  5. reliability of a source or witness
    1. persons, esp. in government, having the power or right to enforce orders, laws, etc.
    2. a government agency that administers a project
  7. a person with much knowledge or experience in some field, whose information or opinion is hence reliable; expert
  8. self-assurance and expertness that come with experience the pianist's performance lacked authority

Etymology: ME autorite < OFr autorité, auctorité < L auctoritas < auctor, author

authority Synonyms

authority

n.

  1. Power based on right

    right, authorization, jurisdiction; see power 2.

  2. The appearance of having authority, sense 1

    prestige, political influence, weight, self-assurance; see influence 2.

  3. A person or persons vested with authority, sense 1; usually plural

    officialdom, officials, judges, court, police, government, government agency, office-holders, administration, cabinet, executive, duly constituted representatives, ecclesiastics, the powers that be*; see also bureaucracy 1.

  4. One who knows

    expert, scholar, critic, professional; see specialist. See syn. study atinfluence, power.

authority Law Definition

n

  1. The authorization, permission, power, or right to act on another’s behalf and to bind them by such actions. See also agency, agent, and principal.
  2. The right or power to command, govern, or enforce obedience.
  3. A legal writing, such as a judicial decision, law review article or legal treatise, or a statute’s legislative history that provides information or insight on how to interpret and apply the law. See also precedent.
actual authority
Authority, express or implied, intentionally given by a principal to an agent.
adverse authority
Authority that is detrimental to a party’s argument or position regarding a question or an issue. Usually, when a lawyer finds such authority, he is under an ethical obligation to reveal it to the court, but it is done in such a way (for example, arguing that the decision in a previous case should be narrowly construed or was wrongly decided) as to minimize the authority’s effect upon his client’s case.
apparent authority
Authority that can be reasonably inferred by a third party to have been given to an agent based upon the third party’s dealings with the principal or upon the principal’s representations even if the principal did not intend to give the agent such authority.
binding authority
See precedent.
persuasive authority
Authority that is not binding on a court but still merits consideration. For example, a scholarly work or the decision of a higher court in another jurisdiction.
primary authority
Authority that is issued by law-making bodies, such as a court’s decision or a statute’s legislative history.
secondary authority
Authority that analyzes and explains the law, but is not issued by a court or legislature. For example, an annotation, law review article, or legal treatise.

authority Usage Examples

Preposition: beyond

whiteness: Arm across shoulder we used the superior to mabel authority beyond whiteness.

Converse of object

  • enforce: You must notify the enforcing authority without delay i.e. by telephone.
  • delegate: The policy is executed by the Bank's ALCO whose Chairman has been delegated authority by the Chief Executive.
  • prosecute: All the various prosecuting authorities, not only the CPS, could benefit from such an order.
  • neighbor: Learners seeking to attend a school in neighboring authorities should contact the Transport Unit for further information.
  • designate: It shall also give notice of any change in the designated authorities.
  • inform: It is not the responsibility of the physician to inform the regulatory authority of the diagnosis, except in exceptional circumstances.

Adjective modifier

  • local: Capital Receipts: Money received by the local authority from the transfer of housing stock.
  • competent: The competent German authorities are able to give further information about this.
  • unitary: In all cases Slough showed the highest incidences in the six unitary authorities.
  • public: All 22 public library authorities in the region are involved.
  • relevant: Claim forms require to be submitted having been fully completed by the relevant hospital authority.
  • regulatory: We will disclose information about you to regulatory authorities in response to formal requests.

Converse of subject

approve: The prohibition does not include vaccination campaigns carried out by companies and approved by the relevant authorities.

Noun used with modifier

  • highway: Highway authorities are required to protect the historic environment from the worst effects of traffic.
  • licensing: The licensing authority will take over responsibility for granting gaming machine permits from the courts.
  • planning: These points apply to all planning authorities, not just South Hams.
  • enforcement: Enforcement authorities and the Food Advisory Committee have been informed of the results of this survey.
  • education: Twelve local education authorities are sharing nearly £ 13 million to develop around 30 pilot projects.
  • police: The police authority should liaise with the chief constable about the frequency with which visits should be carried out.