automation

[ aw-tuh-mey-shuhn ]
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noun
  1. the technique, method, or system of operating or controlling a process by highly automatic means, as by electronic devices, reducing human intervention to a minimum.

  2. a mechanical device, operated electronically, that functions automatically, without continuous input from an operator.

  1. act or process of automating.

  2. the state of being automated.

Origin of automation

1
First recorded in 1945–50; autom(atic) + (oper)ation

Other words from automation

  • pro·au·to·ma·tion, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for automation

automation

/ (ˌɔːtəˈmeɪʃən) /


noun
  1. the use of methods for controlling industrial processes automatically, esp by electronically controlled systems, often reducing manpower

  2. the extent to which a process is so controlled

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012