Deauthorization

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of revoking permission or access given and the process of invalidating previously granted rights or authorizations occurs in various contexts
2. The termination of a granted privilege or access and the act of discontinuing previously established permissions take place in multiple settings
3. This involves the process of canceling previously given authority and the act of removing access rights in different applications

Etymology: "Deauthorization" is a plain formation: the prefix "de-", meaning to reverse or undo, attached to "authorization," the act of granting official permission. Put together, the word names the reversal of that grant, withdrawing a permission someone was previously given. The "de-" prefix comes from Latin, where it could mean "down," "away," or "undoing," and English uses it in the same reversing sense in older words such as "decode" and "deforest." The base "authorization" traces back through "authorize" to Latin "auctor," meaning "originator" or "promoter," the same root behind "author." So a deauthorization literally undoes the act of an originator giving sanction.