authorities : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: authorities	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for authorities
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
authorities n the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit; "the government reduced taxes"; "the matter was referred to higher authorities" Synonym(s): government, authorities, regime
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Authority \Author"ity\, n.; pl. {Authorities}. [OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorit[82], 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. [bd]And on that high authority had believed.[b8] --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.