"Were authorized" is a past tense phrase derived from the verb "authorize" and consists of two essential parts: "were" indicating the past tense of the auxiliary verb "be" and "authorized" functioning as the past participle of the verb "authorize."
To define "were authorized," we must first examine the word "authorize." It generally refers to the act of granting official permission, approval, or power to someone or something. When someone or an entity is authorized, it means they have been formally empowered or given legal permission to perform a specific action, engage in a particular activity, or make decisions within a certain scope.
Adding the past tense "were" to "authorized" indicates that the granting of authorization occurred in the past. This implies that at some point before the present moment, a person, organization, or governing body allowed or granted official permission, approval, or empowerment to an individual, group, system, or entity.
The phrase "were authorized" can be used in various contexts, such as legal, administrative, contractual, or organizational settings, where permissions, approvals, or powers are granted. It signifies that at a particular time in the past, someone was given the necessary authorization to carry out specific actions, access certain resources, or exercise particular rights.
The word "were" is the past tense of the verb "be", which comes from Old English "wæron". "Wæron" evolved from the Proto-Germanic word "*wēzun" meaning "they were".
The word "authorized" comes from the verb "authorize", which originates from the Middle English word "autorisen", derived from the Old French word "autoriser". The Old French term is a combination of "autorite" (authority) and the suffix "-iser" (to make, do). Ultimately, the Old French word can be traced back to the Latin word "auctorizare", where "auctor" means "author" or "originator".