automaton

English

Wikipedia

The Digesting Duck of Jacques de Vaucanson, hailed in 1739 as the first automaton capable of digestion.

A diagram of a formal automaton.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek αὐτόματον (automaton), neuter of αὐτόματος (automatos, “self moving, self willed”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: ô-tŏm'ə-tən, ô-tŏm'ə-tŏn, IPA: /ɔːˈtɒmətən/, /ɔːˈtɒməˌtɒn/, X-SAMPA: /O:"tQm@t@n/, /O:"tQm@%tQn/

Noun

automaton (plural automatons or automata)

1. A machine or robot designed to follow a precise sequence of instructions.
2. A person who acts like a machine or robot, often defined as having a monotonous lifestyle and lacking in emotion.

   Due to her strict adherence to her daily schedule, Jessica was becoming more and more convinced that she was an automaton.

   A departure from principle in one instance becomes a precedent for a second, that second for a third, and so on 'til the bulk of the society is reduced to be mere automatons of misery, to have no sensibilities left but for sinning and suffering. - Thomas Jefferson

3. A formal system, such as finite automaton.
4. A toy in the form of a mechanical figure.

Derived terms

• auton
• cellular automaton

Related terms

• automat
• automatic
• automatization
• automatize
• automation

Hyponyms

• robot

Translations

machine or robot designed to follow a precise sequence of instructions

• Albanian: automat (sq) m
• Czech: automat (cs) m
• Dutch: automaat (nl) m
• Finnish: automaatti (fi)
• French: automate (fr) m
• Icelandic: sjálfvirki (is) m, vélmenni (is) n
• Italian: automa (it) m
• Japanese: オートマトン (ja) (ōtomaton), 自動機械 (ja) (jidō-kikai)

• Macedonian: автомат (mk) (avtomát) m
• Portuguese: autômato (pt) m
• Romanian: automat (ro) n
• Russian: автомат (ru) (avtomát)
• Serbo-Croatian: automat (sh) m
• Spanish: autómata (es) m
• Swedish: automat (sv) c

person who acts like a machine or robot

formal system

• Czech: automat (cs) m
• Finnish: automaatti (fi)
• French: automate (fr) m
• Italian: automa (it) m
• Japanese: オートマトン (ja) (ōtomaton)

• Macedonian: автомат (mk) (avtomát) m
• Portuguese: autômato (pt) m
• Romanian: automat (ro) n
• Russian: автомат (ru) (avtomát)
• Swedish: automat (sv) c

toy in the form of a mechanical figure

• French: automate (fr) m

• Portuguese: autômato (pt) m