Authentication is proving that you are who you claim to be. Two-factor authentication, authentication failed, biometric authentication.
It is separate from authorisation, which decides what you may then do — the two are constantly confused and the distinction matters in every system. Two-factor authentication combines something you know with something you have, and it stops the great majority of account takeovers. In antiques it means proving a piece genuine.
1nounauthenticationProving that you are who you claim to be.
“The bank's app asks for fingerprint authentication before you can log in.”
2nounobjectProving an object genuine.
“Before the auction, the painting was sent to experts for authentication.”
authentication is a proving.
Medieval Latin
authenticō
English
authenticate
English, today
authentication
From authenticate + -ation. authenticate Borrowed from Medieval Latin authenticō.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA