Autorize

Autorize is not the standard English spelling of the verb. In contemporary usage, the preferred forms are authorize in American English and authorise in British English. The form autorize is typically regarded as a misspelling, though it can appear as a brand name, a proper noun, or a programming identifier in some contexts.

Etymology and meaning: The word originates from Old French autoriser, from Latin auctor, meaning author or source of authority. To authorize means to grant official permission or power to act, to empower someone, or to certify that a rule or policy permits a specified action. As a noun, authorization refers to the act or the document that grants such permission.

Usage and contexts: In everyday language, you might authorize someone to sign a document or authorize a payment. In business and law, authorization is a formal grant of rights or permissions, often documented or codified in policy. In computing and information security, authorization is the process of determining whether a user or system has permission to access a resource after authentication; it underpins access control, role-based permissions, and policy-driven access.

Brand note: There is a payment gateway known as Authorize.Net, which uses a distinct branding and capitalization. It shares the same linguistic root but is a specific product name rather than a generic spelling variant.

See also: authentication, authorization, authorisation, access control, permission, token-based access.