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autonomous - 4 dictionary results

au⋅ton⋅o⋅mous

  [aw-ton-uh-muhs]
Use autonomous in a Sentence
–adjective
1. Government.
a. self-governing; independent; subject to its own laws only.
b. pertaining to an autonomy.
2. having autonomy; not subject to control from outside; independent: a subsidiary that functioned as an autonomous unit.
3. Biology.
a. existing and functioning as an independent organism.
b. spontaneous.
Origin:
1790–1800; < Gk autónomos with laws of one's own, independent, equiv. to auto- auto- 1 + nóm(os) law, custom + -os adj. suffix

Related forms:
au⋅ton⋅o⋅mous⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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au·ton·o·mous   (ô-tŏn'ə-məs)   
adj.  
  1. Not controlled by others or by outside forces; independent: an autonomous judiciary; an autonomous division of a corporate conglomerate.
  2. Independent in mind or judgment; self-directed.
    1. Independent of the laws of another state or government; self-governing.
    2. Of or relating to a self-governing entity: an autonomous legislature.
    3. Self-governing with respect to local or internal affairs: an autonomous region of a country.
  4. Autonomic.

[From Greek autonomos : auto-, auto- + nomos, law; see nem- in Indo-European roots.]
au·ton'o·mous·ly adv.
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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Autonomous

Au*ton"o*mous\, a. [Gr. ?; ? self + ? to assign, hold, sway.]

1. Independent in government; having the right or power of self-government.

2. (Biol.) Having independent existence or laws.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : autonomous
Spanish: autónomo,
German: autonom,
Japanese: 自治の
More Translations »

Main Entry: au·ton·o·mous
Pronunciation: o-'tän-&-m&s
Function: adjective
1 : of, relating to, or marked byautonomy
2 a : not forming a part (as does an embryo or seed) in the developmental sequence of an organism b : responding, reacting, or developing independently ofthe whole autonomous growth>
3 : under control of the autonomic nervous system —au·ton·o·mous·ly adverb
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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