[aw-tuh-mat-ik] 
| 1. | having the capability of starting, operating, moving, etc., independently: an automatic sprinkler system; an automatic car wash. |
| 2. | Physiology. occurring independently of volition, as certain muscular actions; involuntary. |
| 3. | done unconsciously or from force of habit; mechanical: an automatic application of the brakes. |
| 4. | occurring spontaneously: automatic enthusiasm. |
| 5. | (of a firearm, pistol, etc.) utilizing the recoil or part of the force of the explosive to eject the spent cartridge shell, introduce a new cartridge, cock the arm, and fire it repeatedly. |
| 6. | a machine that operates automatically. |
| 7. | automatic rifle. |
| 8. | automatic pistol. |
| 9. | Football. audible (def. 2). |
| 10. | automatic pilot. |
| 11. | automatic transmission. |
| 12. | an automobile equipped with automatic transmission. |
| 13. | on automatic, being operated or controlled by or as if by an automatic device. |
[aw-tuh-muh-tis-i-tee] , noun [aw-duh-buh
l] | 1. | capable of being heard; loud enough to be heard; actually heard. |
| a type of pistol having a mechanism that throws out the empty shell, puts in a new one, and prepares the pistol to be fired again. |
| a type of light machine gun capable of firing automatically or in single shots. |
| an automotive transmission requiring either very little or no manual shifting of gears. |
| au·di·ble (ô'də-bəl) adj. That is heard or that can be heard. n. Football A new or substitute offensive play called by the quarterback or a defensive formation called by a linebacker at the line of scrimmage as an adjustment to the opposing side's formation. Also called automatic. [Late Latin audībilis, from Latin audīre, to hear; see au- in Indo-European roots.] au'di·bil'i·ty, au'di·ble·ness n., au'di·bly adv. |
| au·to·mat·ic (ô'tə-māt'ĭk) adj.
[From Greek automatos : auto-, auto- + -matos, willing; see men-1 in Indo-European roots.] au'to·mat'i·cal·ly adv., au'to·ma·tic'i·ty (-mə-tĭs'ĭ-tē) n. Word History: The words automatic pilot or automatic transmission bring to mind mechanical devices that operate with minimal human intervention. Yet the word automatic, which goes back to the Greek word automatos, "acting of one's own will, self-acting, of itself," made up of two parts, auto-, "self," and -matos, "willing," is first recorded in English in 1748 with reference to motions of the body, such as the peristaltic action of the intestines: "The Motions are called automatic from their Resemblance to the Motions of Automata, or Machines, whose Principle of Motion is within themselves." Although the writer had machines in mind, automatic could be used of living things, a use we still have. The association of automatic chiefly with machinery may represent one instance of many in which we have come to see the world in mechanical terms. |