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authority
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
authority
noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a position of power/authority
▪ Many used their positions of power for personal advantage.
an education authority (=a government organization that makes official decisions about education in one particular area)
▪ The school is funded by the local education authority.
challenging...authority
▪ a boy with a reputation for challenging the authority of his teachers
exceeded...authority
▪ The riot police had exceeded their authority.
exert authority
▪ It is every parent's responsibility to exert their authority by laying down some firm rules.
express agreement/consent/authority etc
▪ He is not to leave without my express permission.
Financial Services Authority, the
foremost authorities
▪ one of the country’s foremost authorities on chemical warfare
give sb control/authority/responsibility etc
▪ She was given absolute control over all recruitment decisions.
Local Authority
local authority
▪ Central government is trying to stop local authorities overspending.
quiet authority/dignity (=not saying much but making other people have a particular feeling about you)
▪ Jack’s air of quiet authority
regulatory body/authority/agency
▪ New drugs have been approved by the regulatory authority.
sb’s moral authority (=influence that someone has because people believe their principles are right)
▪ Corruption in government destroys its moral authority.
undermine sb’s confidence/authority/position/credibility etc
▪ The constant criticism was beginning to undermine her confidence.
world authority
▪ a world authority on climate change
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
central
▪ However, such a transfer can happen only at the expense of the central authority.
▪ But the deeper imprint of the central authority, and the harsher side to its reformist zeal, left scars.
▪ The Diet represented both central and local authorities, and was a gathering of major importance.
▪ It also inherited the Roman virtue of sound organization, based on a powerful central authority, and preserved by strict legalism.
▪ But any notion of a central planning authority, with if not exactly omnipotent powers over other government departments, soon foundered.
▪ Only a strong central authority could guarantee internal peace and economic stability.
▪ There is often a lack of real coordination between area or central authorities and individual service points.
▪ Meaning descends from some central authority in the brain.
federal
▪ The federal housing authorities had no powers of enforcement.
▪ Pfaelzer also ordered Keating to pay $ 122 million in restitution to federal regulatory authorities.
▪ Later this month, federal authorities are expected to announce plans to reduce their supplies of water to farmers by three-quarters.
▪ Sanchez Ortega dropped out of sight within days of his being questioned by federal authorities and has not been seen since.
▪ On top of that, you will note that there are seventeen outstanding warrants filed by various state and federal authorities against her.
▪ Amid an increasingly hostile war of words, Finley has criticized Racicot for reneging on a promise to cooperate with federal authorities.
▪ The bill also would give federal agents authority to obtain wiretaps to detect smuggling and document-fraud crimes.
▪ They do, however, decide whether to notify the state or federal authorities who lead such investigations.
local
▪ The report included structure diagrams for each type of local authority based on the outlines shown in Figs 5.1 and 5.2.
▪ Finally, on 30 May 1990 the local authority issued a summons in the county court seeking payment of both amounts.
▪ The optimal size of the local authority depends on the kind of public good under consideration.
▪ The local authority associations were subsequently asked to provide an alternative set of proposals.
▪ She withdrew because her case has been taken over by the local authority, her solicitor Alistair Babbington said.
▪ Rather, it seems voters were strongly influenced by their perception of the competence of their own local authority.
▪ The educational aspects of social change can be assessed only by looking at the local education authorities.
▪ He is right to draw attention to the hypocrisy of those local authorities, as he has described it.
moral
▪ Although delays were mitigated and judicial efficiency improved, the courts continued to exercise little moral authority.
▪ He wielded real moral authority, to my eye.
▪ But we have to admit that Mr Clinton has preserved much more moral authority and effectiveness in office than ever seemed possible.
▪ When she stood, though, she projected physical power and moral authority.
▪ Sincere spirit and moral authority count, not quick and easy money.
▪ In 1945 Rhee possessed moral authority and commanded deep respect, even among those antagonistic to his conservatism.
▪ The one thing he takes seriously is Buddhism: this anchors his fiery imagination, giving it a species of moral authority.
▪ I recognize no human moral authority outside my existential self.
other
▪ In the other two authorities the schools were selected randomly from school lists.
▪ A few other authorities have taken over elements of the scheme.
▪ Conventions can arise in other ways and authorities can do other things.
▪ We do not find that any other authority clashes with our present judgement, which must be in favour of the defendant.
▪ One other authority has a joint budget with the health authority, funding a crossroads care attendant scheme and health care assistants.
▪ There's no other authority outside of me.
▪ Having access to the creative approaches to the reforms in other authorities was really useful.
political
▪ Should political authority be managed for national independence or for collaboration?
▪ Or local political leader whose authority has been superseded by leaders abroad?
▪ But the political authorities still of course have considerable power to control the railways.
▪ Depending on the political system, this might entail voting and campaign activities to influence the selection and action of political authorities.
▪ Finally, the state is fragmented, both in terms of political authority and the organizational form and logic of its component parts.
▪ It therefore may be felt that the thesis can not serve for the analysis of political authority.
▪ Does not the fact that political authorities govern groups of people transform the picture?
public
▪ Level Most public library authorities place a strong emphasis on introductory materials and standard works, rather than on advanced material.
▪ The public facilities authority raises capital by issuing taxable bonds to investors, whose money pays to renovate the stadium.
▪ Women owe it to the public health authorities to eat up their pills and stay healthy.
▪ You should be looking at the nature of public authority when you invest.
▪ Why should the extent of this activity be of concern to the public authorities?
▪ The majority of the Court of Appeal concluded that the same principle should not apply in the case of such public authorities.
▪ The users of Eurocurrency are multinational firms, central banks and governments and other public authorities.
▪ Courts will only interfere with a spending decision of a public authority in the most unusual circumstances.
regional
▪ These powers of a regional planning authority in relation to development control are essentially rights of intervention to give effect to regional planning policies.
▪ Funding for this network will be provided by the three ministries, regional authorities, and network users.
▪ Health post: Yorkshire regional health authority has appointed Len Wright as its new director of finance.
▪ But a regional health authority spokesman dismissed the document as pure speculation.
▪ To deal with disputes over such matters, regional health authorities will act as conciliators.
▪ An influential minority report by Derek Senior advocated a map involving solely two-tier regional authorities, 35 in number.
▪ Trusts take a much narrower view on long-term needs than regional health authorities, and nursing education is not even an obligation.
▪ There are 8 regional authorities and 47 second-tier districts.
regulatory
▪ Purchasers seeking clearance and other parties submitting information to the regulatory authorities face prosecution if they supply false or misleading information.
▪ Pfaelzer also ordered Keating to pay $ 122 million in restitution to federal regulatory authorities.
▪ In other words, a parent bank and its subsidiaries abroad will be supervised by the parent country regulatory authority.
▪ In Britain, questions have been raised over the impartiality of the regulatory authority.
▪ Investigation progress reports were issued to councillors, regulatory authorities and emergency services and public complaints were handled on a one-to-one basis.
▪ Teesside Operations is co-operating fully with all local and regulatory authorities in various studies to identify the causes of poor health.
▪ It appears that the regulatory authorities are extremely slow at detecting fraud.
■ NOUN
education
▪ On education he applauded the Conservatives for taking school budgets out of control of local education authorities.
▪ Local education authorities will contribute through staffing and clerical costs they may also provide office space and equipment, etc.
▪ It is being funded by 19 of the country's 116 education authorities.
▪ In Worcestershire, the education authority is committed to parity of excellence for all of its comprehensive schools.
▪ Trafford education authority has received about £13 million in the past two years to help it reorganise and improve its schools.
▪ The attitude of Nottinghamshire local education authority has been quite disgraceful by any standards.
▪ There are many other well-established agencies at work in most education authorities.
▪ Now we aim to increase further the day-to-day independence of schools and colleges within a democratically accountable framework of local education authorities.
health
▪ Greater Manchester Police said that if a local health authority asked the police for assistance the force would respond.
▪ The health authority confirmed a High Court hearing would start on April 9 in Middlesbrough.
▪ The guidance gives an insight into the respective contribution of staff at ward, unit and health authority level.
▪ Cooperation between general practitioners and district health authorities requires mutual accountability.
▪ The fund holding surgery can by-pass the health authority and buys services direct from hospitals.
▪ Keeping the principle of coterminous boundaries meant 90 health authorities, varying widely in population size.
▪ Will the Government issue clear guidance on which responsibilities will fall to health authorities and which to social services?
planning
▪ Fourth, to put mineral planning authorities under a duty to review the planning situation in respect of every mineral operation within their area.
▪ No development was to take place without permission from the local planning authority.
▪ But any notion of a central planning authority, with if not exactly omnipotent powers over other government departments, soon foundered.
▪ And to compound the problem, the local planning authority had shown themselves unsympathetic to the owner's over-ambitious plans for rebuilding.
▪ This is an indication of how far government policy has undermined local planning authority priorities on the ground.
▪ Developments of this sort can not be carried out without planning permission granted by local planning authority.
water
▪ In fact the water authorities are especially sensitive to criticism in the media.
▪ Mr Henderson said the water authority is committed to cleaner rivers, beaches and purer water.
▪ The National Rivers Authority came into existence in September, 1989, having been separated from the old water authorities.
▪ Ultimately water authority staff prize personal qualities as an officer's most important attributes.
▪ Ten of these are the successors to the regional water authorities and they also provide sewerage services.
▪ Pollution is in effect qualitatively and quantitatively controlled by the water authorities since standards are administratively negotiated.
▪ The responsibility for detecting pollution and enforcing regulations in the two water authorities studied rests with a policing section or inspectorate.
■ VERB
challenge
▪ He thus challenged authority simply by declaring that he was al-haqq, truth incarnate.
▪ Then there are the risks of challenging this in authority.
▪ Anyone who challenges my authority will have to stand up to this divine power when I come to Corinth.
▪ It challenges their authority and specialisms and notions of objectivity.
▪ There were no fractious sects and gangsters to challenge his authority.
give
▪ Priority is to be given to the 57 authorities submitting Inner Area Programmes.
▪ Several justices voiced doubt about the wisdom of giving police automatic authority to tell all passengers to get out of a car.
▪ Crimes of Tazir are given to the appropriate authority to determine punishment.
▪ Each team was given achievement responsibility, authority, and accountability for a specific set of black-boxes.
▪ Other drafts give parliament considerably greater authority than he would like.
▪ There was some-thing peaceful about it, something firm and orderly; it gave him some small authority over his own life.
▪ The law gives local authorities the power to decide and they, in turn, define the kind of workers they want.
▪ This will give police authorities access to their calls.
provide
▪ These provide a network of public services complementing those provided by local authorities.
▪ Music was provided by the Shrine authorities with pilgrims assisting with readings, bidding prayers and the offertory procession.
▪ Some one who had provided the Western authorities with considerable intelligence material from his travels in the East.
▪ Prospective developers should make their planning applications on forms provided by the planning authority.
▪ Some local authorities only support elderly residents in their own homes, whereas two authorities have no directly provided provision.
▪ The possibility of transfer of responsibility to central government agencies for some services previously provided by local authorities has already been mentioned.
▪ The legal differences reflect the political and economic differences in that different services are provided under the authority of different statutes.
▪ Similarly contracting-out may not provide authorities with greater flexibility if they are tied to long-term arrangements which are difficult to renegotiate.
require
▪ This requires authority and a strong nerve.
▪ Those inevitably require hierarchical authority to implement and tend to be mechanistic.
▪ A solicitor is required to obtain authority to use the green form scheme in such proceedings.
▪ The first is its lack of certainty as to what was required of the health authority.
▪ In order to direct people, those in senior positions require authority to legitimise the instructions and orders they give.
▪ Successful peacekeeping requires two things: authority and strength.
▪ We will require local authorities to define minimum standards of accessibility in their areas and draw up transport plans which meet them.
▪ It permitted, but did not, as Wilson had intended, require local authorities to provide meals for needy schoolchildren.
undermine
▪ The Red Cross claims that every misuse of the symbol undermines its authority and endangers its members operating in difficult conditions.
▪ Dictators and schoolteachers have tried to control it, fearing its contagious power to undermine authority.
▪ The Lords did not in their speeches think that they were undermining the authority of Lawrence.
▪ The president faces issues that can catch him off guard and undermine his authority.
▪ Knowledge of their relationship would undermine their authority, or so they thought.
▪ But his behavior clearly undermined his authority.
▪ This must have infuriated my father and undermined his authority.
▪ Similarly, the increasing use of urban development corporations ind Whitehall grants in inner cities would further undermine local authorities.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
father/mother/authority figure
▪ A young girl needs a strong mother figure.
▪ And he registers genuine hurt at the fact that Buzzy regards Buck as more of a father figure than himself.
▪ As we get older, we may be abused by other authority figures - teachers, doctors, bosses.
▪ Disrespect the authority figure out there on the field and then wonder why the kids do it in their classrooms.
▪ Eventually Daley made the remarkable transition from political boss to father figure.
▪ He spoke seldom, but he was never impatient with her, always kind, a companionable father figure.
▪ It would seem that we are far more likely to obey unquestioningly when the authority figure is actually present.
▪ One wonders what is the unspoken view of the other authority figures involved in setting this up?
reassert your authority/power/control
▪ For the next year the Republican government was obliged to struggle to reassert its authority.
▪ Governments will reassert their control over corporations when people reassert their control over governments.
▪ Historians are divided into two viewpoints about the Tsars ability to reassert his power and avoid revolution.They are the optimists and pessimists.
▪ Louis the Pious, taking Charles with him, moved quickly to reassert his control.
▪ The battered Premier was today desperately trying to reassert his authority after Mr Lamont's devastating attack.
the unacknowledged leader/authority etc
▪ In the hierarchy of Balniddrie-although pecking-order might be a more accurate term-Kara was the unacknowledged leader.
wield power/influence/authority etc
▪ A close adviser of the dead King, he now wields power because of that King's death.
▪ But more characteristic was the visible manipulation of supernatural power by men and women who wielded authority.
▪ Conservatism went into relative eclipse. while Labour under Clement Attlee was able to wield influence in the coalition government.
▪ Curtiss draws a picture of a sensual, self-serving middle-aged woman who wields power as well as influence.
▪ In allowing authority figures to wield power over us indiscriminately, we surrender our rights to choose to take responsibility.
▪ Others were content to wield power in the party machines rather than in the public eye.
▪ They weren't out to impress or wield power.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Al-Azhar is Egypt's highest religious authority.
▪ Coach Harris has the authority to hire and fire players.
▪ Contact your local health authority for details of the scheme in your area.
▪ In the British system, the mayor has no authority over the local police.
▪ No one dared to question the principal's authority.
▪ Reischauer became an authority on Japanese-American relations.
▪ She was widely regarded as the country's leading authority on plant diseases.
▪ The airline has been given authority to fly to several U.S. destinations.
▪ The King had the authority to raise taxes without the permission of parliament.
▪ The number of complaints received by the Police Complaints Authority has risen sharply in recent years.
▪ the Regional Water Authority
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Although the new managers had focused on the privileges that came with formal authority, the superiors emphasized the duties-the accountability.
▪ Because of the emergency, the authority would be granted and Agriculture would have two hundred new slots.
▪ But, in addition, it has also meant some surrender of authority to Washington.
▪ Local authorities are legally obliged to record unmet needs and disclose details of these.
▪ Responsibility and accountability are coupled with managerial authority.
▪ The evacuation of many schools gave military and civil authorities the opportunity to requisition the buildings for their own use.
▪ The victims were more than strangers to the killers, authorities say.
Related phrases:
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Authority

Authority \Au*thor"i*ty\, n.; pl. Authorities. [OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorit['e], 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:

    1. Testimony; witness. ``And on that high authority had believed.''
      --Milton.

    2. A precedent; a decision of a court, an official declaration, or an opinion, saying, or statement worthy to be taken as a precedent.

    3. A book containing such a statement or opinion, or the author of the book.

    4. Justification; warrant.

      Wilt thou be glass wherein it shall discern Authority for sin, warrant for blame.
      --Shak.

Related phrases:
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
authority

early 13c., autorite "book or quotation that settles an argument," from Old French auctorité "authority, prestige, right, permission, dignity, gravity; the Scriptures" (12c.; Modern French autorité), from Latin auctoritatem (nominative auctoritas) "invention, advice, opinion, influence, command," from auctor "master, leader, author" (see author (n.)).\n

\nUsually spelled with a -c- in English till 16c., when it was dropped in imitation of the French. Meaning "power to enforce obedience" is from late 14c.; meaning "people in authority" is from 1610s. Authorities "those in charge, those with police powers" is recorded from mid-19c.

Wiktionary
authority

n. 1 (label en uncountable) The power to enforce rules or give orders. 2 (label en used in singular or plural form) Persons in command; specifically, government.

Related phrases:
WordNet
authority

  1. n. the power or right to give orders or make decisions; "he has the authority to issue warrants"; "deputies are given authorization to make arrests" [syn: authorization, authorisation, dominance, say-so]

  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, self-assurance, confidence, self-confidence, sureness]

  5. an administrative unit of government; "the Central Intelligence Agency"; "the Census Bureau"; "Office of Management and Budget"; "Tennessee Valley Authority" [syn: agency, federal agency, government agency, bureau, office]

  6. official permission or approval; "authority for the program was renewed several times" [syn: authorization, authorisation, sanction]

  7. an authoritative written work; "this book is the final authority on the life of Milton"

Related phrases:
Wikipedia
Authority

The word authority (derived from the Latin word auctoritas) can be used to mean the right to exercise power given by the State (in the form of government, judges, police officers, etc.), or by academic knowledge of an area (someone that can be an authority on a subject).

When the word Authority is used in the name of an organization, this name usually refers to the governing body upon which such authority is vested; for example, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority or the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. It is also the right to do something.

Authority (sociology)

Authority is the legitimate or socially approved use of power. It is the legitimate power which one person or a group holds over another. The element of legitimacy is vital to the notion of authority and is the main means by which authority is distinguished from the more general concept of power. Power can be exerted by the use of force or violence. Authority, by contrast, depends on the acceptance by subordinates of the right of those above them to give them orders or directives.

Authority (novel)

Authority is a 2014 novel by Jeff VanderMeer. It is the second in a series of three books called the Southern Reach Trilogy. The book is said to focus on the Southern Reach agency. In an interview, VanderMeer states that, "if Annihilation is an expedition into Area X, then Authority is an expedition into the Southern Reach, the agency sending in the expeditions." It was released in May 2014.

Authority (album)

Authority is the fifth studio album by British electronic music group Client, released on 21 March 2014 through German electronic music label Out of Line.

Authority (disambiguation)

Authority may refer to:

  • Authority (management), formal or legitimate, specified in a charter
  • Authority (sociology), the legitimate or socially approved use of power
  • Authority (textual criticism), its reliability as a witness to the author's intentions
  • Appeal to authority, type of argument in logic
  • Authority control, term used in library and information science
  • High Authority (disambiguation), refers to several executive organizations or branches
  • Police authority (UK), body charged with securing efficient and effective control of a territorial police area
  • Public authority, a government chartered corporation such as a transit authority
  • The Palestinian National Authority, the administrative organization established to govern the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a consequence of the 1994 Oslo Accords.
Authority (management)

Authority in project management is the power that gives a project manager the ability to act in the name of the project sponsor executive or on behalf of the organization.

There are several different types of authority that project managers can leverage:

  • Positional authority (also referred to as formal or legitimate authority): refers to the project manager's authority enforced through the project charter or some other organizational means (organizational level, reporting relationship, etc).
  • Coercive authority (also referred to as penalty authority): refers to motivating staff by negative reinforcement such as fear of losing a bonus, assigning unappealing work, losing status, issuing a formal reprimand or possibly even losing their job.
  • Expert authority: achieved through formal mechanisms such as certifications or education. Project Managers have several formal certifications available from global certification bodies such as the Project Management Professional (PMP) or Prince2 Foundation. In addition, degrees or diplomas from universities or educational institutes can further confer expertise on a project manager. Finally, validated experience in a relative field and industry can associate a project manager as an expert in their field.
  • Referent authority: for project managers this typically refers to the authority earned by displaying integrity, fairness and respect to others. This power enables project managers to gain the confidence of their teams even in the absence of formal/reward or penalty power. Referent authority is also associated with being accessible or approachable and possessing the necessary charisma to enable team members to share their ideas, feelings and concerns. Another perspective on referent authority is provided by French and Raven based on the groups or affiliations that the project manager belongs to, this can either be positive or negative.
  • Reward authority: refers to positive reinforcement and the ability to award something of value.

Due to the temporary nature of projects, most project managers will rely primarily on expert and referent authority.

Authority (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)

"Authority" is the seventeenth episode of the ninth season of the American police procedural Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and the 200th overall. "Authority" first aired on April 29, 2008 on NBC in the United States. The episode's plot sees Detectives Elliot Stabler ( Christopher Meloni) and Olivia Benson ( Mariska Hargitay) investigating a caller who impersonates a police officer and asks people to do illegal things. The detectives learn that the caller is audio engineer Merritt Rook ( Robin Williams), a man who opposes authority due to a tragic event in his past. After Rook seizes an opportunity to kidnap Benson, he asks Stabler to inflict pain on her or watch him do it.

The episode was co-written by Neal Baer and Amanda Green, while David Platt directed. It was inspired by the 2004 Mount Washington strip search phone call scam, the Milgram experiments and the New York performance art group Improv Everywhere's "Frozen Grand Central" event. Williams was cast after his friend Richard Belzer ( John Munch), approached the producers and told them Williams would like to appear on the show. Executive producer Neal Baer stated that they only developed the story after learning that Williams was available. Filming for the episode began in late March on location at Bryant Park, Grand Central Terminal and Long Island City.

"Authority" was seen by 12.06 million viewers, winning the 10pm hour with a 4.1 Nielsen rating in the 18–49 demographic. Critical response was mixed, with some reporters branding the plot implausible, unsatisfying and inane. Others enjoyed the episode, saying it was "tremendously tense" and chilling. For his portrayal of Rook, Williams won the Favorite Scene Stealing Guest Star accolade at the 35th People's Choice Awards. He also received a nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, while Karen Stern earned a nomination for Best Edited One-Hour Series for Commercial Television at the 2009 American Cinema Editors Awards.

Authority (textual criticism)

The authority of a text is its reliability as a witness to the author's intentions. These intentions could be initial, medial or final, but intentionalist editors (most notably represented by Fredson Bowers and G. Thomas Tanselle editing school) generally attempt to retrieve final authorial intentions. The concept is of particular importance for textual critics, whether they believe that authorial intention is recoverable, or whether they think that this recovery is impossible.

Here are some examples of authority:

  • The only authority for the works of the Roman poet Catullus derives from a lost manuscript, of which three copies reside in the National Library in Paris, the Bodleian Library at Oxford, and the Vatican Library in Rome (the Codex Vaticanus). No one knows, or can ever know, how close this manuscript comes to Catullus' intentions—in other words, how great its authority is.
  • It is generally thought that the Q1 (' Bad quarto') edition of Shakespeare's Hamlet is an unauthorized copy, reconstructed from memory by one of the actors. If this is so, then it has some authority, but much less than the first authorized quarto, Q2 (1602). In comparison, however, it might be a useful authority to the cuts and adaptations made in the performance it was based on.
  • The First Folio edition of Julius Caesar (1623) is the only authoritative source, since it is the copy-text of all future editions.
  • A diary which is probably authentic has total authority.

A text's authority is made more problematic when it has more than one author, when it falsely asserts itself to be someone else's work, or when it is revised many times. For instance:

  • The forged diaries of Adolf Hitler have no authority as the work of their supposed author, but they do have authority as a witness to the intentions of Konrad Kujau, the forger.
  • A page on Wikipedia could be said to indicate the intentions of the aggregate of users who have edited it up to that point: it has multiple authority. But many of its editors will disagree with one another about what the page should contain. The idea of 'final intention' does not easily apply, since the page is never complete, and since a recent change (e.g. a piece of vandalism) might not be satisfactory to any of the other editors except the one who made it.
  • The quarto edition of Shakespeare's King Lear differs from the later folio edition in many ways. Most modern versions collate the two, preferring one edition in one passage and the other in another. But some editors, such as Stanley Wells, argue they are separate works with different artistic intentions, and that neither of them has more authority.

Authority can also be related to a particular edition, especially if this edition reaches a degree of popularity.

Related phrases:

Usage examples of "authority".

That during the existing insurrection, and as a necessary measure for suppressing the same, all rebels and insurgents, their aiders and abettors within the United States, and all persons discouraging volunteer enlistments, resisting militia drafts, or guilty of any disloyal practice affording aid and comfort to rebels against the authority of the United States, shall be subject to martial law, and liable to trial and punishment by courts-martial or military commissions.

Carthage, who was invested with civil and military power, provoked the sectaries, and even the Catholics of the Roman province, to abjure the religion as well as the authority of their tyrants.

And aboard this ship a bold look, one that even hints at a challenge to authority, counts as insolence.

Court, in conformity with the aforementioned theories of economics and evolution, was in fact committed to the principle that freedom of contract is the general rule and that legislative authority to abridge the same could be justified only by exceptional circumstances.

But instead of abusing, or exerting, the authority of the state, to revenge his personal injuries, Julian contented himself with an inoffensive mode of retaliation, which it would be in the power of few princes to employ.

Social Democrats have for the most part been treated by the authorities with repressive laws and abusive epithets.

Federal authorities obtained a murder warrant yesterday against fugitive Glenn Alien Abies in the shooting death of Deputy U.

Such treatment by the authorities soon led some socialist leaders to despair of ever achieving their goals by parliamentary means and to embrace more radical ideologies, such as syndicalism and anarchism.

Mere precedent is a dangerous source of authority, and should not be regarded as deciding questions of constitutional power, except where the acquiescence of the people and the States can be considered as well settled.

Secondly, with some, the authority of great minds, renowned for scientific knowledge and speculative acumen, goes far.

For the strict materiality of the fire of hell we might adduce volumes of authorities from nearly every province of the Church.

Many additional authorities in favor of this view might be adduced, enough to balance, at least, the names on the other side.

United States, might not, without any special authority for that purpose, in the then existing state of things, have empowered the officers commanding the armed vessels of the United States, to seize and send into port for adjudication, American vessels which were forfeited by being engaged in this illicit commerce.

The size or bore of the adjutage was strictly regulated by law, and under the authority of the aediles.

He pulls up before a sign: RIVER THAMES WATER AUTHORITY No Admittance At a control barrier Steed inserts a card.