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autonomy - 6 dictionary results

au⋅ton⋅o⋅my

  [aw-ton-uh-mee]
Use autonomy in a Sentence
–noun, plural -mies.
1. independence or freedom, as of the will or one's actions: the autonomy of the individual.
2. the condition of being autonomous; self-government, or the right of self-government; independence: The rebels demanded autonomy from Spain.
3. a self-governing community.
Origin:
1615–25; < Gk autonomía independence, equiv. to autónom(os) autonomous + -ia -y 3

Related forms:
au⋅ton⋅o⋅mist, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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au·ton·o·my   (ô-tŏn'ə-mē)   
n.   pl. au·ton·o·mies
  1. The condition or quality of being autonomous; independence.
    1. Self-government or the right of self-government; self-determination.
    2. Self-government with respect to local or internal affairs: granted autonomy to a national minority.
  3. A self-governing state, community, or group.

[Greek autonomiā, from autonomos, self-ruling; see autonomous.]
au·ton'o·mist n.
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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Autonomy

Au*ton"o*my\, n. [Gr. ?: cf. F. autonomie. See Autonomous.]

1. The power or right of self-government; self-government, or political independence, of a city or a state.

2. (Metaph.) The sovereignty of reason in the sphere of morals; or man's power, as possessed of reason, to give law to himself. In this, according to Kant, consist the true nature and only possible proof of liberty. --Fleming.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : autonomy
Spanish: autonomía,
German: die Autonomie,
Japanese: 自治
More Translations »

autonomy 
1623, from Gk. autonomia, noun of quality from autonomos "independent, living by one's own laws," from auto- "self" (comb. form) + nomos "custom, law" (see numismatics). Autonomous is recorded from 1800.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: au·ton·o·my
Pronunciation: o-'tä-n&-mE
Function: noun
: the quality or state of being self-governing; especially : the right of self-government —au·ton·o·mous /-m&s/ adjective —au·ton·o·mous·ly adverb
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Main Entry: au·ton·o·my
Pronunciation: -mE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -mies
1 : the quality orstate of being independent, free, and self-directing
2 : independence from the organism as a whole in the capacity of a part for growth, reactivity, or responsiveness
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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