Results for authority
On this page:
 
Dictionary:

authority

  (ə-thôr'ĭ-tē, ə-thŏr'-, ô-thôr'-, ô-thŏr'-) pronunciation
n., pl. -ties.
    1. The power to enforce laws, exact obedience, command, determine, or judge.
    2. One that is invested with this power, especially a government or body of government officials: land titles issued by the civil authority.
  2. Power assigned to another; authorization: Deputies were given authority to make arrests.
  3. A public agency or corporation with administrative powers in a specified field: a city transit authority.
    1. An accepted source of expert information or advice: a noted authority on birds; a reference book often cited as an authority.
    2. A quotation or citation from such a source: biblical authorities for a moral argument.
  5. Justification; grounds: On what authority do you make such a claim?
  6. A conclusive statement or decision that may be taken as a guide or precedent.
  7. Power to influence or persuade resulting from knowledge or experience: political observers who acquire authority with age.
  8. Confidence derived from experience or practice; firm self-assurance: played the sonata with authority.

[Middle English auctorite, from Old French autorite, from Latin auctōritās, auctōritāt-, from auctor, creator. See author.]


 
 
Accounting Dictionary: Authority

Power to direct and exact performance from others. It includes the right to prescribe the means and methods by which work will be done. However, the authority to direct is only as good as one individual's willingness to accept direction from another. Moreover, with authority comes Responsibility and Accountability.

 
Thesaurus: authority

noun

  1. The right and power to command, decide, rule, or judge: command, control, domination, dominion, jurisdiction, mastery, might, power, prerogative, sovereignty, sway. Informal say-so. See over/under.
  2. A person or group having the right and power to command, decide, rule, or judge: official. Idioms: powers that be, the Man. See over/under.
  3. Conferred power: faculty, mandate, right. Law competence, competency. See ability/inability.
  4. A person with a high degree of knowledge or skill in a particular field: ace, adept, dab hand, expert, master, past master, professional, proficient, wizard. Informal whiz. Slang crackerjack. Chiefly British dab. See ability/inability.

 
Antonyms: authority

n

Definition: power
Antonyms: servility, servitude

 
Political Dictionary: authority

The right or the capacity, or both, to have proposals or prescriptions or instructions accepted without recourse to persuasion, bargaining, or force. Systems of rules, including legal systems, typically entitle particular office-bearers to make decisions or issue instructions: such office-bearers have authority conferred on them by the rules and the practices which constitute the relevant activity. Umpires and referees, for example, have authority under the rules and practices constitutive of most sporting contests. Law enforcement officers are authorized to issue instructions, but they also receive the right to behave in ways which would not be acceptable in the absence of authorization: for example, to search persons or premises. To have authority in these ways is to be the bearer of an office and to be able to point to the relation between that office and a set of rules. In itself, this says nothing about the capacity in fact of such an office-holder to have proposals and so forth accepted without introducing persuasion, bargaining, or force. A referee, for example, may possess authority under the rules of the game, but in fact be challenged or ignored by the players. A distinction is therefore drawn between de jure authority—in which a right to behave in particular ways may be appealed to—and de facto authority—in which there is practical success. A different distinction is drawn between a person who is in authority as an office-bearer and a person who is an authority on a subject. The latter typically has special knowledge or special access to information not available to those who accept the person's status as an authority. Sometimes the two forms are found together: for example, the Speaker of the Commons possesses authority (to regulate the business of the House, under its rules of procedure), and is also an authority (on its rules of procedure). Attempts have been made to find common features between these two usages. These focus primarily on the ‘internal’ relationship between the authority-holder and the authority-subject, the process of recognition of the status involved, and on the willingness of the authority-subject to adopt the judgement of the authority-holder (instead of his or her own, or in the absence of the ability to formulate one).

— Andrew Reeve

 
Philosophy Dictionary: authority

A person, institution, or organization is said to have authority when the power it exercises is supposed legitimate, that is, authorized by some system of norms to which the speaker assents. The emergence of such norms in human society is a complex matter, with convention, habit, custom, and tradition playing different roles. Social contract theory is one kind of solution to the problem of the basis of authority; the evident utility of some rule-governed systems is another. While it is common to find scepticism about particular claims to authority, the idea that human co-ordination (and hence even communication) could exist without it is usually regarded as fanciful.

 
Sports Science and Medicine: authority

1. The established ruling body, for example, of a sport, which can legitimately exert power.

2. The power or right to control and judge the actions of others. This may be through the personal authority of a strong leader (charismatic authority); the established authority (known as traditional authority), for example, of governing bodies of individual sports which can impose and enforce their own rules and regulations; or legal authority, for example of the state.

 
Law Encyclopedia: Authorities
This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

Legal powers. Governmen- tal agencies created by statute for specific public purposes, such as a county highway authority. References to statutes, precedents, judicial decision, and legal textbooks that support the position of a party to a lawsuit made in the briefs submitted by the attorneys for the parties to the court that is to hear the case or during the trial in the oral arguments.

Primary authorities are citations to statutes, court decisions, and government regulations that, if having the force of law, must be applied by the court to dispose of the issue in dispute if they are relevant to the matter. Secondary authorities are references to treatises, textbooks, or restatements that explain and review general principles of law that buttress a party's position in a lawsuit. Such authorities have no legal effect and can be disregarded by the court.

Authorities are also cited by scholars in legal treatises, hornbooks, and restatements to establish the bases of the statements and conclusions contained in the works.

 
Word Tutor: authority
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A person or agency that has the power to make decisions or can be trusted to give correct information.

pronunciation Professor Jones is an authority on Australian wombats.

 
Quotes About: Authority

Quotes:

"No oppression is so heavy or lasting as that which is inflicted by the perversion and exorbitance of legal authority." - Joseph Addison

"To say that authority, whether secular or religious, supplies no ground for morality is not to deny the obvious fact that it supplies a sanction." - Sir Alfred Jules Ayer

"Does it follow that I reject all authority? Perish the thought. In the matter of boots, I defer to the authority of the boot-maker." - Mikhail Bakunin

"Authority without wisdom is like a heavy ax without an edge, fitter to bruise than to polish." - Anne Bradstreet

"Anyone who in discussion relies upon authority uses, not his understanding, but rather his memory." - Leonardo Da Vinci

"Authority is never without hate." - Euripides

See more famous quotes about Authority

 
Wikipedia: authority
This article is about authority as a concept. For other uses, see Authority (disambiguation).

In politics, authority (Latin auctoritas, used in Roman law as opposed to potestas and imperium) is often used interchangeably with the term "power". However, their meanings differ: while "power" refers to the ability to achieve certain ends, "authority" refers to the legitimacy, justification and right to exercise that power. For example, whilst a mob has the power to punish a criminal, such as through lynching, only the courts have the authority to order capital punishment.

Since the emergence of social sciences, authority has been a subject of research in a variety of empirical settings; the family (parental authority), small groups (informal authority of leadership), intermediate organizations such as schools, churches, armies, industries and bureaucracies (organizational and bureaucratic authority) and society-wide or inclusive organizations ranging from the most primitive tribal society to the modern nation-state and intermediate organization (political authority).

The jurisdiction of political authority, the location of sovereignty, the balancing of freedom and authority, the requirements of political obligations have been core questions for political philosophers from Plato and Aristotle to the present.

"The phenomena called authority is at once more ancient and more fundamental than the phenomena called state; the natural ascendancy of some men over others is the principle of all human organizations and all human advances."

—Bertrand de Jouvenel

Religious perceptions of authority

Most religions around the world, whether Hinduism, Islam, or Christianity have always considered God as the supreme authority. All the religious scriptures have considered God to have authority and wisdom, which is infinitely superior than any human being. The source or reason behind this authority usually involves tremendous power and compassion along with primacy in the physical and spiritual realms. That which is divine is usually thought of as the creator and therefore superior to ordinary creatures.

Divinity, as presented in the religious scriptures, makes claim to the final authority for all truth and reality, and provides rules and directions for the use of creation. The question of authority in such a system is "what does God want from me and how do I know this?" The source for answers to these types of questions in a divine authority consideration is variable in the human experience. Absolutism is often the result of receipt of what has been considered a divinely authored experience. The common experience of man is a religious history. Methods of understanding the connection to divinity are multiple, all seem to require some measure of faith in divinity and contemplation of perhaps multiple methods of communication.

For example, in the modern era; the act of observing the communion or the Lord's supper comes from a combination of direct divine command, approved apostolic example recorded in scripture, and necessary inference. Jesus directly states to his disciples that they are to partake of this examination (found in the Gospels and rehearsed in the First Epistle to the Corinthians); there is an example of an apostle and others participating in this act of worship and obedience in the Book of Acts, where the day of the observance is mentioned; as with all Bible references, the reader must infer or understand how the direction from God to be applicable to today.

Weber on authority

The word authority derives from the Latin word "auctoritas", used in Roman law as opposed to potestas. According to Giorgio Agamben (2005), "auctoritas has nothing to do with magistrates or the people's potestas or imperium. The Senator… is not a magistrate".

In Weberian sociology, authority comprises a particular type of power. The dominant usage comes from functionalism, defining authority as power which is recognized as legitimate and justified by both the powerful and the powerless. Weber divided authority into three types:

The first type discussed by Weber is the Traditional authority which according to him derives from long-established customs, habits and social structures. When power passes from one generation to another then it is known as traditional authority. The right of hereditary monarchs to rule furnishes an obvious example. There are several examples in this regard. The Tudors in England, and the ruling families of Mewar in Rajasthan (India) are some examples of traditional authority.

The second type of authority is Rational-legal authority. It is that form of authority which depends for its legitimacy on formal rules and established laws of the state, which are usually written down, and are often very complex. The power of the rational legal authority is mentioned in the constitution. Modern societies depend on legal-rational authority. Government officials are the best example of this form of authority which is prevalent all over the world.

The third form of authority is Charismatic authority. Here, the charisma of the individual or the leader plays an important role. Charismatic authority is that authority which is derived from "the gift of grace," or, when the leader claims that his authority is derived from a "higher power" (e.g. God or natural law or rights) or "inspiration" that is superior to both the validity of traditional and rational-legal authority, and followers accept this and are willing to follow this higher or inspired authority in the place of the authority that they have hitherto been following. Some of the most prominent examples of charismatic authority can be politicians or leaders who come from a movie or entertainment background. These people become successful because they use their grace and charm to get more votes during elections. Examples in this regard can be NT Rama Rao, a matinee idol who went on to become one of the most powerful Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh. History has witnessed several social movements or revolution against a system of traditional or legal-rational authority, which are usually started by Charismatic authority. What distinguishes authority from coercion, force, and power on the one hand and leadership, persuasion and influence on the other hand is legitimacy. Superiors feel that they have a right to issue commands; subordinates perceive an obligation to obey. Social scientists agree that authority is but one of several resources available to incumbents in formal positions. For example, a Head of State is dependent upon a similar nesting of authority. His legitimacy must be acknowledged not just by citizens but by those who control other valued resources: his immediate staff, his cabinet, military leaders and in the long run administration and political apparatus of the entire society.

Authority and the state

The jurisdiction of political authority is widely discussed in the U.S.; Even the current Iraq war is in question. Because the Founders intended a system of checks and balances which ideally limits concentration of power in any one of the three branches, there is an ongoing discussion in U.S. politics regarding the legitimate extent of governmental authority in general. While there has been an ongoing trend toward consolidation of power in the federal government, and in the executive branch in particular, many critics argue that the Founders intended a system which afforded the populace with as much freedom as reasonable, and that government should limit its authority accordingly.

Every state has a number of institutions which exercise authority based on longstanding practices. In India, the British created the institution of the Civil Service, which is still going strong even after 150 years. The Armed Forces of India is another institution which is subordinate to the government but is a very old and prominent institution. Apart from this, every state sets up agencies which are competent in dealing with one particular matter. All this is set up within its charter. One example can be that of a port authority like the port of London authority. They are usually created by special legislation and are run by a board of directors. Several agencies and institutions are also created along the same lines and they exercise autonomy in certain matters. They are also usually required to be self-supporting through property taxes or other forms of collection or fees for services.

The use of authority by contemporary social scientists is not dispute free. According to La swell and Kaplan, authority is formal power. But Friedrich rejected their definition and defined authority as the quality of a communication which is capable of reasoned elaboration. La swell and Kaplan believed that power is a form of influence whereas Friedrich maintained that influence is a kind of power, indirect and unstructured. According to him, it seems of unlimited value to pursue a definition of authority as a special case of power or influence. Social Scientists are by no means agreed on how the concept should be used. According to Michaels, in the Encyclopedia of Social Sciences, authority is the capacity, innate or acquired for exercising ascendancy over a group. But Kiersten's argues that authority is not a capacity, it is a relationship. It is sanctioned power, institutionalized power.

See Special-purpose district and Public Authority.

See also

References

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
Translations: Translations for: Authority

Dansk (Danish)
n. - autoritet, myndighed

idioms:

  • be an authority on    være en autoritet i
  • give authority    tillægge autoritet, tillægge myndighed
  • have it on good authority    have det fra pålidelig kilde, have det fra velinformeret kilde

Nederlands (Dutch)
gezag, overwicht, deskundige, kenner, toestemming, bevoegdheid, autoriteit, de overheid, (mv) gezagsorgaan, bewijskracht uit betrouwbare bron gehoord hebben wetgevende macht

Français (French)
n. - autorité, pouvoir, autorisation (formelle), mandat, autorité (en matière de), expert, source (autorisée)

idioms:

  • be an authority on    faire autorité en matière de
  • give authority    autoriser
  • have it on good authority    savoir/tenir de bonne source que

Deutsch (German)
n. - Autorität, Befugnis, Behörde

idioms:

  • be an authority on    beschlagen sein in
  • give authority    Vollmacht erteilen, die Befugnis erteilen
  • have it on good authority    aus zuverlässiger Quelle wissen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - εξουσία, αρχή, εξουσιοδότηση, εντολή, δημόσια αρχή, κύρος, αυθεντία, πηγή, προέλευση

idioms:

  • be an authority on    είμαι αυθεντία σε
  • give authority    εξουσιοδοτώ
  • have it on good authority    γνωρίζω από έγκυρη πηγή

Italiano (Italian)
autorità, potere, autorizzazione, influenza

idioms:

  • be an authority on    essere esperto di
  • education authority    ispettorato scolastico
  • give authority    autorizzare
  • legislative authority    potere legislativo
  • supreme authority    autorità suprema

Português (Portuguese)
n. - autoridade (f), poder (m), perito (m), chefe (m), diretor (m), gerente (m), reputação (f)

idioms:

  • be an authority on    ser uma autoridade em
  • education authority    autoridade educacional
  • give authority    dar autoridade
  • have it on good authority    de boa fonte
  • legislative authority    autoridade legislativa
  • supreme authority    autoridade suprema

Русский (Russian)
власть, правительство, авторитет, разрешение, администрация, полномочия

idioms:

  • be an authority on    быть авторитетом в какой-то области
  • education authority    учебная администрация
  • give authority    дать полномочия
  • have it on good authority    авторитетно знать
  • legislative authority    законодательная власть
  • supreme authority    верховная власть

Español (Spanish)
n. - autoridad, gobierno, mando, conocedor, experto, organismo, agencia

idioms:

  • be an authority on    ser un experto en, ser perito en
  • give authority    autorizar, facultar, habilitar, otorgar poder
  • have it on good authority    saber algo de buena fuente

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - myndighet, auktoritet, bemyndigande

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
专家, 权威, 威信

idioms:

  • be an authority on    ...的权威
  • give authority    授予权限, 授予权力, 授予职权
  • have it on good authority    有足够根据可以说...

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 專家, 權威, 威信

idioms:

  • be an authority on    ...的權威
  • give authority    授予權限, 授予權力, 授予職權
  • have it on good authority    有足夠根據可以說...

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 권위, 당국, 근거, 관례

idioms:

  • be an authority on    ~에 권위가 있다
  • give authority    권한을 주다
  • have it on good authority    확실한 소식통으로부터 듣다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 権威, 権力, 権能, 典拠, 権威となる文書, 官憲, 公共事業機関, 権威者, 大家, 判例, 許可

idioms:

  • be an authority on    ～の権威

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) سلطه, مستند, مرجع أو مصدر نص, حكومه, نفوذ مصدر معلومات موثوق‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮סמכות, רשות, מרות, בר-סמכא, מקור, אישור, בן-סמך, שלטונות, אוטוריטה‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.


 
Best of the Web: authority

Some good "authority" pages on the web:


American Sign Language
commtechlab.msu.edu
 
 
 

Join the WikiAnswers Q&A community. Post a question or answer questions about "authority" at WikiAnswers.

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Accounting Dictionary. Dictionary of Accounting Terms. Copyright © 2005 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Answers Corporation Antonyms. © 1999-2008 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
Political Dictionary. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics. Copyright © 1996, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Philosophy Dictionary. The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy. Copyright © 1994, 1996, 2005 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Sports Science and Medicine. The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine. Copyright © Michael Kent 1998, 2006, 2007. All rights reserved.  Read more
Law Encyclopedia. West's Encyclopedia of American Law. Copyright © 1998 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Word Tutor. Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved.
eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; free trial.  Read more
Quotes About. Copyright © 2005 QuotationsBook.com. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Authority".  Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more

Search for answers directly from your browser with the FREE Answers.com Toolbar!  
Click here to download now. 

Get Answers your way! Check out all our free tools and products.

On this page:   E-mail   print Print  Link  

 

Keep Reading

Mentioned In:

 |  More >More >
 

Do you have the answers?