ovlastiti

Ovlastiti is a verb used in several South Slavic languages, notably Croatian, Serbian, and Bosnian. It means to grant formal authority to another person to act on one’s behalf or to empower someone to perform specific tasks. In legal and administrative contexts, to ovlastiti someone is to confer powers, such as authorizing a representative to sign documents or to make decisions within defined limits. The related noun is ovlašćenje, meaning authorization or empowerment; the adjective form is ovlašćen (authorized).

Etymology is generally traced to the noun vlast, meaning power or authority, with the prefix o- and the verb-forming suffix -iti, yielding a verb that denotes the act of conferring authority.

Usage and nuances: ovlastiti is widely used in official and corporate language. It is a transitive verb that typically appears with an object and a purpose, for example: ovlastiti nekoga za zastupanje, dati ovlast za potpisivanje ugovora. Synonyms include pooblastiti, which is common in formal legal registers and in some varieties may be preferred in official wording. Distinctions between ovlastiti and pooblastiti can be subtle and may vary by country or institution.

See also: ovlašćenje (authorization), ovlašćen (authorized), pooblastiti (to empower). These terms appear in legal documents, contracts, and administrative regulations, reflecting the formal transfer or delegation of authority within organizations or jurisdictions.