King James Bible Dictionary

AU'THOR, noun [Latin auctor. The Latin word is from the root of augeo, to increase, or cause to enlarge. The primary sense is one who brings or causes to come forth.]

1. One who produces, creates, or brings into being; as, God is the author of the Universe.

2. The beginner, former, or first mover of any thing; hence, the efficient cause of a thing. It is appropriately applied to one who composes or writes a book, or original work, and in a more general sense, to one whose occupation is to compose and write books; opposed to compiler or translator.

AU'THOR, verb transitive To occasion; to effect. [Not used.]

AU'THORESS, noun A female author.

AUTHOR'ITATIVE, adjective

1. Having due authority.

2. Having an air of authority; positive; peremptory.

AUTHOR'ITATIVELY, adverb In an authoritative manner; with a show of authority; with due authority.

AUTHOR'ITATIVENESS, noun The quality of being authoritative; an acting by authority; authoritative appearance.

AUTHOR'ITY, noun [Latin auctoritas.]

1. Legal power, or a right to command or to act; as the authority of a prince over subjects, and of parents over children. Power; rule; sway.

2. The power derived from opinion, respect or esteem; influence of character or office; credit; as the authority of age or example, which is submitted to or respected, in some measure, as a law, or rule of action. That which is claimed in justification or support of opinions and measures.

3. Testimony; witness; or the person who testifies; as, the Gospels or the evangelists are our authorities for the miracles of Christ.

4. Weight of testimony; credibility; as a historian of no authority

5. Weight of character; respectability; dignity; as a magistrate of great authority in the city.

6. Warrant; order; permission.

By what authority dost thou these things. Matthew 21:23. Acts 9:14.

7. Precedents, decisions of a court, official declarations, respectable opinions and says, also the books that contain them, are call authorities, as they influence the opinions of others; and in law, the decisions of supreme courts have a binding force upon inferior courts, and are called authorities.

8. Government; the persons or the body exercising power or command; as the local authorities of the states.

In Connecticut, the justices of the peace are denominated the civil authority

AUTHORIZA'TION, noun The act of giving authority, or legal power; establishment by authority.

AU'THORIZE, verb transitive

1. To give authority, warrant or legal power to; to give a right to act; to empower; as, to authorize commissioners to settle the boundary of the state.

2. To make legal; as, to authorize a marriage.

3. To establish by authority, as by usage, or public opinion; as an authorized idiom of language.

4. To give authority, credit or reputation to; as to authorize a report, or opinion.

5. To justify; to support as right. Suppress desires which reason does not authorize

AU'THORIZED, participle passive Warranted by right; supported by authority; derived from legal or proper authority; having power or authority.

AU'THORIZING, participle present tense Giving authority to, or legal power, credit, or permission.

AU'THORSHIP, noun [author and ship.] The quality or state of being an author.