rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryfiatAuthoritative command
noun

fiat

FEE-aht/ˈfiːɑːt/

An order issued by someone with authority.

The judge's fiat compels the protesting participant to surrender her keys to the officer.

An official decision imposed through a judge's unmistakable command and an officer's immediate enforcement: a protesting participant reluctantly surrenders her keys.
Etymology
fiatLatinto be done, become

From fieri, “to be done,” fiat meant “let it be done.” Its use in proclamations turned that expression of authority into a noun for an official order.

In context

Betsy Rosenberg | CODE GREEN25:19
I'm not going to allow offshore wind and he is such a power drunk that if he feels that he can stop it just by fiat then that's what he's going to do.
Fighting Trump's Climate Rollbacks & Building Bridges | CODE GREEN Interview with Fred Hewett

More examples

  • The board imposes the new policy by fiat.
  • A royal fiat orders the release of the prisoners.
  • The governor's fiats leave local officials with little choice.

Forms

fiat · fiats

Similar words

decree
Emphasizes a formal, official decision, often with legal force.
order
Covers routine instructions as well as commands from authorities.
edict
Usually means a publicly proclaimed order from a ruler.