fiat
noun · verb
Simple meaning
An arbitrary or authoritative command or order to do something.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
fyatSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈfaɪæt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
An arbitrary or authoritative command or order to do something; an effectual decree.
Authorization, permission or (official) sanction.
attributivePertaining to
Fiat currency.
An automobile manufactured by the Italian firm Fiat S.p.A.
Fiat, the Italian automaker.
verb
transitiveused in academic debate and role-playing games
To make (something) happen.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: An arbitrary or authoritative command or order to do something; an effectual decree.
Used this way, fiat is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It suits considered writing and prepared speech.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Official and authoritative
- Usage feel
- Formal and precise
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Money that the government declares to be legal tender although it cannot be converted into standard specie.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.