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autorisation

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Etymology and origin of the French word autorisation

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1419 inventory of Nicolas de Baye More words from the 15th century
Ultimate origin
Latin auctor

Pronunciation

  • /o.tɔ.ʁi.za.sjɔ̃/[1]
  • /ɔ.tɔ.ʁi.za.sjɔ̃/[1]

Forms

autorisation f (plural autorisations)[1] Middle French auctorizacion (1419) and authorisation (1593).[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is formed from French autoriser + -ation.[1][2][5][6] The verb goes back to Old French auctorisier, from Medieval Latin auctōrizō, formed on Latin auctor (“guarantor”).[1][2][5] Up to the 16th century these words were often spelt with ⟨auct-⟩, and with ⟨auth-⟩ in the 15th and especially the 16th.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1419 as auctorizacion in an inventory of Nicolas de Baye, of a royal letter giving a lady leave to sell: the act of giving someone the power to do something.[4][2]

Semantic evolution

Middle French used it in legal and royal documents, as in a letter of Louis XI (1475–1478) that lists letters of declaration, interpretation and auctorizacion.[4] The modern sense of a permission and of the written document that grants it is recorded in the 19th and 20th centuries, in law as in daily use, and in banking it names the limit an account may be overdrawn.[6][7][8]

Timeline

  • 1419 – Auctorizacion in the inventory of Nicolas de Baye.[4][2]
  • 1475–1478 – Auctorizacion in the letters of Louis XI.[4]
  • 1593 – The spelling authorisation.[2][3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The act of authorizing, and the right so granted: permission, consent: sortir sans autorisation, demander l'autorisation de partir.[3][8][7]
  2. A document recording a permission: a permit, licence: présenter son autorisation au gardien.[3][8][7]
  3. (banking) The limit up to which a client's account may be overdrawn under an agreed advance.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e Dictionnaire du Moyen Français, version 2015 (DMF 2015), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/dmf
  5. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  8. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
Cite this entry

“Autorisation.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/autorisation. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·