authority

noun6

1. •
   the right or power to control others, give them orders and make them follow rules

   • I have the authority to penalise the staff in my department, but not the authority to sack them.
   • Vigilantes may have the power to nab criminals, but they lack the authority.
2. •
   Persons, regarded collectively, who occupy official positions of power; police or law enforcement.

   • Authorities say the suspect fled on foot.
3. •
   A reliable, definitive source of information on a subject.

   • My cheap dictionary is not the authority on word derivations.
4. •
   Status as a trustworthy source of information, reputation for mastery or expertise; or claim to such status or reputation.

   • Due to being inadequate for the deductive method of reasoning, the argument from authority is considered a logical fallacy.
5. •
   A government-owned agency that runs a revenue-generating activity for public benefit.
6. •
   Official permission; authorisation to act in some capacity on behalf of a ruling entity.

   • Authority to construct eight carriages, to test the new design in public service, had already been given; but of course complete working drawings had first to be prepared. — 1964