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automatic - 11 dictionary results
au⋅to⋅mat⋅ic
[aw-tuh-mat-ik] 
–adjective
| 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. |
–noun
—Idiom| 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. |
Related forms:
au⋅to⋅mat⋅i⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
au⋅to⋅ma⋅tic⋅i⋅ty [aw-tuh-muh-tis-i-tee] , noun
[aw-tuh-muh-tis-i-tee] , noun Synonyms:
2. Automatic, involuntary, spontaneous all mean not under the control of the will. That which is automatic, however, is an invariable reaction to a fixed type of stimulus: The patella reflex is automatic. That which is involuntary is an unexpected response that varies according to the occasion, circumstances, mood, etc.: an involuntary cry of pain. That which is spontaneous arises from immediate stimuli and usually involves an expression of strong feeling: a spontaneous roar of laughter.
2. Automatic, involuntary, spontaneous all mean not under the control of the will. That which is automatic, however, is an invariable reaction to a fixed type of stimulus: The patella reflex is automatic. That which is involuntary is an unexpected response that varies according to the occasion, circumstances, mood, etc.: an involuntary cry of pain. That which is spontaneous arises from immediate stimuli and usually involves an expression of strong feeling: a spontaneous roar of laughter.
au⋅di⋅ble
[aw-duh-buh
l] –adjective
| 1. | capable of being heard; loud enough to be heard; actually heard. |
Related forms:
au⋅di⋅bil⋅i⋅ty, au⋅di⋅ble⋅ness, noun
au⋅di⋅bly, adverb
automatic pistol
–noun
| 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. |
automatic rifle
–noun
| a type of light machine gun capable of firing automatically or in single shots. |
automatic transmission
–noun
| an automotive transmission requiring either very little or no manual shifting of gears. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To automatic
| 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. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Automatic
Au`to*mat"ic\, Automatical \Au`to*mat"ic*al\, a. [Cf. F. automatique. See Automaton.]1. Having an inherent power of action or motion. Nothing can be said to be automatic. --Sir H. Davy. 2. Pertaining to, or produced by, an automaton; of the nature of an automaton; self-acting or self-regulating under fixed conditions; -- esp. applied to machinery or devices in which certain things formerly or usually done by hand are done by the machine or device itself; as, the automatic feed of a lathe; automatic gas lighting; an automatic engine or switch; an automatic mouse. 3. Not voluntary; not depending on the will; mechanical; as, automatic movements or functions. Unconscious or automatic reasoning. --H. Spenser. Automatic arts, such economic arts or manufacture as are carried on by self-acting machinery. --Ure.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : automatic
Spanish:
automático,
German:
automatisch,
Japanese:
自動の
automatic
1748, first used by Eng. physician and philosopher David Hartley (1705-57) in ref. to involuntary animal or human actions, from Gk. automatos "self-acting," from autos- "self" (comb. form) + matos "thinking, animated." Sense of "self-acting, having power of motion" is from 1812; especially of machinery which simulates human action from 1940. As an abbreviation of automatic pistol or gun, it is attested from 1902; meaning "car with an automatic transmission" is from 1949. Automatic teller first attested 1971. Automation was coined 1948 by Ford Motor Co. Vice President Delmar S. Harder; automate is a 1952 back-formation.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: au·to·mat·ic
Function: adjective
: happening or existing through the operation of a preexisting arrangement that is triggered by some event; specifically : happening or existing through the operation of law <automatic reversal>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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