Origin: Latin suffix -tion
Authorization has 5 different meanings across 1 category:
a document giving an official instruction or command
"The pilot waited for his authorization before engaging the afterburners to take off from the restricted airstrip."
the power or right to give orders or make decisions
"he has the authority to issue warrants"
"deputies are given authorization to make arrests"
"a place of potency in the state"
official permission or approval
"authority for the program was renewed several times"
the act of conferring legality or sanction or formal warrant
"The project could not begin until we received official authorization from the city council to demolish the old warehouse."
Permission.
"The project manager waited for official authorization before breaking ground on the new construction site."
In plain English: Authorization is official permission to do something.
"You need proper authorization before you can access these confidential files."
Usage: Use authorization to refer to the official permission or right granted to someone to do something or access a resource. It describes the act of approving an action rather than the physical document itself.
The word authorization comes from combining the verb "authorize" with the suffix "-ation." It entered English as a noun form to describe the act of granting official permission or approval.