automaton — (n.) 1610s, from L. automaton (Suetonius), from Gk. automaton, neut. of automatos self acting, from autos self (see AUTO (Cf. auto )) + matos thinking, animated, willing, from PIE *mn to , from root *men to think (see MIND … Etymology dictionary
Automaton — Au*tom a*ton, n.; pl. L. {Automata}, E. {Automatons}. [L. fr. Gr. ?, neut. of ? self moving; ? self + a root ma, man, to strive, think, cf. ? to strive. See {Mean}, v. i.] 1. Any thing or being regarded as having the power of spontaneous motion… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Automaton — [engl.], Automat … Universal-Lexikon
AUTOMATON — quibusdam idem cum pegmate, de quo suô locô: Sueton. tamen in Claudio c. 34. distinguit: Si autαὐτόματον, aut pegma, vel tale quid aliud parum cessisset: de Automato in Physicis, vide infra, ubi de Perpetuo motu; ubi de Αὐτοματοποιητικῇ, seu… … Hofmann J. Lexicon universale
automaton — has the plural form automata when understood collectively and automatons when understood individually. See Latin plurals … Modern English usage
automaton — ► NOUN (pl. automata or automatons) 1) a moving mechanical device resembling a human being. 2) a machine which operates according to coded instructions. ORIGIN Greek, from automatos acting of itself … English terms dictionary
automaton — [ô täm′ə tän΄, ô täm′ətən] n. pl. automatons or automata [ô täm′ətə] [L < Gr, neut. of automatos: see AUTOMATIC] 1. anything that can move or act of itself 2. an apparatus that automatically performs certain actions by responding to preset… … English World dictionary
Automaton — This article is about a self operating machine. For other uses of Automaton, see Automaton (disambiguation) or Automata (disambiguation). An automaton (plural: automata or automatons ) is a self operating machine. The word is sometimes used to… … Wikipedia
automaton — [[t]ɔːtɒ̱mətən[/t]] automatons, automata (plural) [pr][[t]ɔːtɒ̱mətə[/t]][/pr] 1) N COUNT (disapproval) If you say that someone is an automaton, you are critical of them because they behave as if they are so tired or bored that they do things… … English dictionary
automaton — automatous, adj. /aw tom euh ton , tn/, n., pl. automatons, automata / teuh/. 1. a mechanical figure or contrivance constructed to act as if by its own motive power; robot. 2. a person or animal that acts in a monotonous, routine manner, without… … Universalium
automaton — noun /ɔːˈtɒmətən,ɔːˈtɒməˌtɒn/ a) A machine or robot designed to follow a precise sequence of instructions. Due to her strict adherence to her daily schedule, Jessica was becoming more and more convinced that she was an automaton. b) A formal… … Wiktionary
