Automaton

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɔːˈtɒmətən/

Definitions

1. A self-operating mechanism that carries out specified tasks independently without external assistance
2. A mechanical device designed to operate independently according to predetermined instructions ; a person who behaves in a repetitive or unthinking manner without conscious control
3. An apparatus capable of performing tasks on its own through mechanical or programmed means ; an individual who performs actions mechanically without emotional involvement or awareness

Etymology: Ancient Greeks used "automaton" for things that moved by themselves, long before anyone pictured a clockwork figure. The word is the neuter form of "automatos," meaning "self-moving" or "self-willed," built from "autos" (self) and a root tied to thinking and striving. In Homer's usage, the adjective described things that happened spontaneously or of their own accord, such as doors that opened without a hand on them. The noun carried that sense of self-motion into the mechanical world. Something that worked by its own internal means, without visible human effort, was an automaton, and the idea attracted makers of elaborate moving figures and devices. Over time the word came to name the machine itself rather than the quality of moving on its own. The word is a doublet of "automat," which came into English through a different route, so the two share a root but differ in form and sense. Modern English uses "automaton" both for a literal self-operating device and, figuratively, for a person who acts mechanically without thought.

Synonyms: robot, mechanical device

Antonyms: human