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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. Thus can the demigod, Authority, Make us pay down for our offense. Shak. By what authority doest thou these things Matt. xxi. 23.…

A female superior or governess of a nunnery, or convent of nuns, having the same authority over the nuns which the abbots have over the monks. See Abbey.

To renounce; to relinquish; -- said of authority, a trust, duty, right, etc. He abdicates all right to be his own governor. Burke. The understanding abdicates its functions. Froude.

luntary renunciation of sovereign power; as, abdication of the throne, government, power, authority.

To annul by an authoritative act; to abolish by the authority of the maker or his successor; to repeal; -- applied to the repeal of laws, decrees, ordinances, the abolition of customs, etc. Let us see whether the New Testament abrogates what we so frequently see in the Old. South. Whose laws, like those of the Medes an…

The act of abrogating; repeal by authority. Hume.

One who repeals by authority.

from any limitation or condition; uncontrolled; unrestricted; unconditional; as, absolute authority, monarchy, sovereignty, an absolute promise or command; absolute power; an absolute monarch.

to pervert; as, to abuse inherited gold; to make an excessive use of; as, to abuse one's authority. This principle (if one may so abuse the word) shoots rapidly into popularity. Froude.

To put or bring into credit; to invest with credit or authority; to sanction. His censure will . . . accredit his praises. Cowper. These reasons . . . which accredit and fortify mine opinion. Shelton.

To own or recognize in a particular character or relationship; to admit the claims or authority of; to give recognition to. In all thy ways acknowledge Him. Prov. iii. 6. By my soul, I'll ne'er acknowledge thee. Shak.

cognized in a particular character or relationship; recognition as regards the existence, authority, truth, or genuineness. Immediately upon the acknowledgment of the Christian faith, the eunuch was baptized by Philip. Hooker.

The management and disposal, under legal authority, of the estate of an intestate, or of a testator having no competent executor.

mpetent executor; one to whom the right of administration has been committed by competent authority.

The department or officers having authority over naval affairs generally.

One who acts for, or in the place of, another, by authority from him; one intrusted with the business of another; a substitute; a deputy; a factor.

To make great; to enlarge; to increase; as, to aggrandize our conceptions, authority, distress.

To cite or quote; as, to allege the authority of a judge. [Archaic]

A ban or curse pronounced with religious solemnity by ecclesiastical authority, and accompanied by excommunication. Hence: Denunciation of anything as accursed. [They] denounce anathemas against unbelievers. Priestley.

other established rules, permanent usages, and the like, which are made void by component authority. Do they mean to annul laws of inestimable value to our liberties Burke.