Etymology

authorize

A1U1T1H4O1R1I1Z10E1

Today it means: To grant (someone) the permission or power necessary to do (something); to permit; to sanction or consent to. Full definition →

Middle English auctorisen ← Old French auctorisier ← Latin auctōrizō
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ewg-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂owg-éye-ti
  3. Proto-Italic*augejō
  4. Proto-Italic*augeō
  5. Latinaugeō
  6. Latinauctor
  7. Latinauctōrizō
  8. Old Frenchauctorisier
  9. Middle Englishauctorisen
  10. English todayauthorize

From Middle English auctorisen, from Old French auctorisier, from Medieval Latin auctōrizāre, from Latin auctor. See author about the orthography with ⟨h⟩. Doublet of octroy.

Words from the same roots

Latinauctor all →

author

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.