Etymology of the English word authority
the English word
authorityderived from the Old French word
autoritederived from the Latin word
auctoritas (authority, influence; responsibility; title, ownership; right to authorize)
derived from the Medieval Latin word
auctor (seller, vendor; originator)
derived from the Latin word
auctus (enlarged, large, abundant; growth, increase, enlargement)
derived from the Latin word
augere (increase, enlarge, augment)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*aug-derived from the French word
authorityderived from the Latin word
auctoritas (authority, influence; responsibility; title, ownership; right to authorize)
derived from the Medieval Latin word
auctor (seller, vendor; originator)
derived from the Latin word
auctus (enlarged, large, abundant; growth, increase, enlargement)
derived from the Latin word
augere (increase, enlarge, augment)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*aug-Date
The earliest known usage of authority in English dates from the 14th century.
Derivations in English
authoritarian,
authoritativeCognates
Dutch
autoriteit, French
autorité, German
Autorität, Italian
autorità, Lithuanian
autoritetas, Norwegian
autoritet, Russian
aвтopитeт, Spanish
autoridad, Swedish
auktoritetUsage
Word found in Modern English
