autorise

Autorise is the present-tense third-person singular form of the French verb autoriser, meaning to authorize, permit, or empower someone to do something. It is used to indicate that someone grants permission or enables an action. In everyday French, the verb is common in administrative, legal, and courteous speech, as in phrases like “il autorise l’accès” (he authorizes access) or “j’autorise cette dépense” (I authorize this expense, with the contraction j’autorise).

Autoriser is a regular -er verb. Its present tense forms are: je autorise (or j’autorise), tu autorises, il/elle autorise, nous autorisons, vous autorisez, ils/elles autorisent. The imperative forms are autorise (tu), autorisons (nous), autorisez (vous). The past participle is autorisé, used with être or avoir in compound tenses, for example “il a autorisé” or “il a été autorisé.” The noun corresponding to the action is l’autorisation.

Etymology traces autoriser to the Latin auctoritas meaning authority, through Old French authorization and authorization-related terms. The word is connected to notions of power, approval, and validated permission, and it is often contrasted with broader notions of obligation or prohibition.

In related usage, French distinguishes the act of granting permission (l’autorisation) from the act of giving power or consent in broader contexts, such as authorizing a procedure, an expenditure, or access to resources. While “autorise” can appear in formal, bureaucratic language, it remains a standard, neutral term suitable for official documents and everyday conversation.