Noun
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.
Government; the persons or the body exercising power or command; as, the local authorities of the States; the military authorities.
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.
That which, or one who, is claimed or appealed to in support of opinions, actions, measures, etc.
Testimony; witness.
A precedent; a decision of a court, an official declaration, or an opinion, saying, or statement worthy to be taken as a precedent.
A book containing such a statement or opinion, or the author of the book.
Justification; warrant.
Source: Webster's dictionaryAuthority is never without hate. Euripides
Truth is the daughter of time, not of authority. Francis Bacon
To punish me for my contempt for authority, fate made me an authority myself. Albert Einstein
Authority shows the man. English Proverb
He who has no bread has no authority. Turkish Proverb
If you wish to know what a man is, place him in authority. Yugoslav Proverb