First Known Use: 1611
Dictionary
automaton
noun au·tom·a·ton \ȯ-ˈtä-mə-tən, -mə-ˌtän\
: a machine that can move by itself
: a person who acts in a mechanical or machinelike way
plural au·tom·atons or au·tom·a·ta\-mə-tə, -mə-ˌtä\
Full Definition of AUTOMATON
1
: a mechanism that is relatively self-operating; especially : robot
2
: a machine or control mechanism designed to follow automatically a predetermined sequence of operations or respond to encoded instructions
3
: an individual who acts in a mechanical fashion
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Origin of AUTOMATON
Latin, from Greek, neuter of automatos
Other Mechanical Engineering Terms
Rhymes with AUTOMATON
abutilon, Agamemnon, anticodon, antiproton, archenteron, arrière-ban, asyndeton, Azerbaijan, Bellerophon, bildungsroman, carrying-on, diazinon, dodecagon, emoticon, encephalon, get a move on, himation, interferon, kakiemon, keep an eye on, Laocoön, mesenteron, Michoacán, millimicron, oxymoron, phenomenon, protozoon, pteranodon, put the arm on, put the make on, rear echelon, Rostov-on-Don, Saskatchewan, septentrion, set one's heart on, set one's sights on, sine qua non, steal a march on, take it out on, Taklimakan, turn one's back on, Vientiane, wipe one's boots on, zero coupon, zooplankton
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