Authority

Authority is the power to make decisions, give orders, and enforce compliance. Such a power is delegated to officials in government or in organizations over subordinates, and in many cases over the people outside the establishments. Authority is also a person considered to have great knowledge about a subject and is an expert with extensive or specialized knowledge. The name of the author of a taxonomic name, cited after the name, is the authority on the ground of expertise. Any source of information, such as a book or any other source, that is reliable as evidence, is also called authority on the basis of which a dispute is settled.