mandate

Written authorization and/or command by a person, group, or organization (the 'mandator') to another (the 'mandatary') to take a certain course of action. Normally revocable until executed, a mandate is automatically terminated on the bankruptcy, incapacitation, removal from office, or death of the mandator. A check, for example, is a mandate issued by a customer of a bank, to pay it as instructed, from a customer's account balance.