ETYM Old Eng. autorite, auctorite, French autorité, from Latin auctoritas, from auctor. Related to Author.
(politics) In a political system, the capacity to take and enforce decisions. The nature, sources, and limitations of political authority have been much debated questions since the time of the ancient Greeks.1. (Usually plural) Persons who exercise (administrative) control over others.
2. A grant of authority to the executive branch of government to spend money for specified purposes; SYN. authorization.
3. An authoritative written work.
4. An expert whose views are taken as definitive.
5. The power to exercise authoritative or dominating control or influence over; SYN. dominance, say-so.
Any influence that tends to change the state of rest or the uniform motion in a straight line of a body. The action of an unbalanced or resultant force results in the acceleration of a body in the direction of action of the force, or it may, if the body is unable to move freely, result in its deformation (see Hooke's law). Force is a vector quantity, possessing both magnitude and direction; its si unit is the newton.
According to Newton’s second law of motion the magnitude of a resultant force is equal to the rate of change of momentum of the body on which it acts; the force F producing an acceleration a m s-2 on a body of mass m kilograms is therefore given by: F = ma See also Newton’s laws of motion.
1. Physical energy or intensity:; SYN. forcefulness, strength.
2. The physical influence that produces a change in a physical quantity
3. A powerful effect or influence:
4. Group of people willing to obey orders; SYN. personnel.
5. A group of people having the power of effective action
ETYM French gouvernance.
Exercise of authority; control; government; arrangement.
ETYM French, from Latin violentia. Related to Violent.
1. A turbulent state resulting in injuries and destruction etc.
2. An act of aggression (as one against a person who resists); SYN. force.