automatic

See also: automàtic

English

Alternative forms

• automatick

Etymology

From French automatique, from Ancient Greek αὐτόματον (autómaton), neuter of αὐτόματος (autómatos, “self-moving, moving of oneself, self-acting, spontaneous”), from αὐτός (autós, “self, myself”) + μέμαα (mémaa, “to wish eagerly, strive, yearn, desire”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌɔːtəˈmætɪk/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌɔtəˈmætɪk/, [ˌɔɾəˈmæɾɪk]

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ætɪk

Adjective

automatic (comparative more automatic, superlative most automatic) (superlative dubious)

1. Capable of operating without external control or intervention.

   The automatic clothes washer was a great labor-saving device.

2. Done out of habit or without conscious thought.

   The reaction was automatic: flight!

3. (of a firearm such as a machine gun) Firing continuously as long as the trigger is pressed until ammunition is exhausted.

   Fully automatic weapons cannot be legally owned by private citizens in the US, except in very special circumstances, as by private security companies.

4. (of a handgun) An autoloader; a semi-automatic or self-loading pistol, as opposed to a revolver or other manually actuated handgun, which fires one shot per pull of the trigger; distinct from machine guns.

   The US Army adopted John Browning's M1911 pistol as its sidearm, chambered in .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol).

5. (computing, of a local variable) Automatically added to and removed from the stack during the course of function calls.
6. (mathematics, of a group) Having one or more finite-state automata

Synonyms

• (without conscious thought): perfunctory, thoughtless, instinctive

Antonyms

• (capable of operating without external control): manual
• (without conscious thought): voluntary

Coordinate terms

• (of a firearm): semi-automatic, burst mode, selective action; bolt action, lever action, pump action (single-round per loading/chambering action)

Derived terms

Derived terms

• automatical
• automatically
• automaticity
• automatic transmission
• manumatic
• -o-matic
• semi-automatic

Related terms

Related terms

• automagical
• automat
• automation
• automatization

• automatize
• automaton
• automobile
• autopilot

Translations

capable of operating without external control

• Albanian: automatik (sq)
• Armenian: ավտոմատ (hy) (avtomat)
• Bulgarian: автоматичен (bg) (avtomatičen)
• Catalan: automàtic (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 自動的 (zh), 自动的 (zh) (zìdòng de)

• Czech: automatický (cs) m, samočinný m
• Danish: automatisk (da)
• Dutch: automatisch (nl)
• Estonian: automaatne
• Finnish: automaattinen (fi)
• French: automatique (fr)
• Galician: automático (gl) m
• Georgian: ავტომატური (avṭomaṭuri), მაშინალური (mašinaluri)
• German: automatisch (de)
• Greek: αυτόματος (el) m (aftómatos)
• Icelandic: sjálfvirkur (is) m
• Italian: automatico (it)
• Japanese: 自動な (jidō na), 自動的な (jidōteki na)
• Khmer: ស្វ័យប្រវត្ត (km) (svay prɑvoat)
• Kyrgyz: автоматтык (ky) (avtomattık), автоматтуу (ky) (avtomattuu), автоматтуу түрдө (ky) (avtomattuu türdö), өзүнөн өзү (özünön özü), машиналуу түрдө (maşinaluu türdö), эс катышпастан (ky) (es katışpastan), эрксиз (ky) (erksiz), аргасыз (ky) (argasız), айласыз (ky) (aylasız), аңсыз (ky) (añsız), акылдан тыш (ky) (akıldan tış), механикалык (ky) (mehanikalık), машинадай (maşinaday), адатынча (ky) (adatınça), өзү жүрүүчү (ky) (özü cürüüçü), өзү кыймылдоочу (ky) (özü kıymıldooçu)
• Latvian: automātisks m
• Lithuanian: automatinis (lt) m, automatiškas m

• Luxembourgish: automatesch
• Macedonian: автома́тски m (avtomátski)
• Malay: automatik
• Maori: aunoa
• Norwegian: automatisk

  Bokmål: automatisk

  Nynorsk: automatisk

• Persian: خودکار‎‎ (fa) (xodkâr), اتوماتیک‎‎ (fa) (otomâtik)
• Polish: (1,3) automatyczny (pl), (1) samoczynny (pl)
• Portuguese: automático (pt)
• Romanian: automat (ro) m, n, automată f
• Russian: автомати́ческий (ru) (avtomatíčeskij)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: аутоматски

  Roman: automatski (sh)

• Slovak: automatický m, samočinný m
• Slovene: avtomatski, avtomatičen
• Spanish: automático (es) m
• Swedish: automatisk (sv)
• Tagalog: sarimuin
• Ukrainian: автомати́чний (uk) (avtomatýčnyj)
• Vietnamese: tự động (vi)
• Welsh: hunanysgogol

acting without conscious thought

• Albanian: automatik (sq)
• Armenian: ավտոմատ (hy) (avtomat)
• Bulgarian: неволен (bg) (nevolen), машинален (bg) (mašinalen)
• Catalan: automàtic (ca)
• Czech: automatický (cs) m, samočinný m
• Danish: automatisk (da), tankeløs, mekanisk
• Dutch: automatisch (nl), gedachtenloos, mechanisch (nl)
• Finnish: automaattinen (fi)
• Georgian: ავტომატური (avṭomaṭuri), უნებლიე (uneblie)
• German: automatisch (de)
• Greek: αυτόματος (el) m (aftómatos)
• Icelandic: sjálfvirkur (is) m

• Italian: automatico (it)
• Macedonian: автома́тски (avtomátski), механички (mehanički)
• Polish: odruchowy
• Portuguese: automático (pt)
• Romanian: automat (ro) m, n
• Russian: автомати́ческий (ru) (avtomatíčeskij), механи́ческий (ru) (mexaníčeskij), машина́льный (ru) (mašinálʹnyj)
• Slovak: automatický m, samočinný m
• Slovene: avtomatski, avtomatičen
• Swedish: automatisk (sv)
• Tagalog: sarimuin
• Ukrainian: автомати́чний (uk) (avtomatýčnyj)
• Vietnamese: tự nhiên (vi)

describing a firearm which fires continuously

• Albanian: automatik (sq)
• Bulgarian: автоматичен (bg) (avtomatičen)
• Czech: automatický (cs) m, samočinný m
• Dutch: automatisch (nl)
• Finnish: automaattinen (fi), sarjatuli-
• French: automatique (fr)
• German: Maschinen-, automatisch (de)
• Greek: αυτόματο (el) n (aftómato), αυτόματος (el) m (aftómatos)
• Icelandic: sjálfvirkur (is) m
• Italian: automatico (it)
• Macedonian: автома́тски m (avtomátski), автома́тска f (avtomátska), автома́тско n (avtomátsko)

• Polish: automatyczny (pl)
• Portuguese: automático (pt)
• Russian: автомати́ческий (ru) (avtomatíčeskij)
• Slovak: automatický m, samočinný m
• Slovene: avtomatski
• Spanish: automático (es)
• Swedish: automatisk (sv)
• Tagalog: sarimuin
• Ukrainian: автомати́чний (uk) (avtomatýčnyj)
• Vietnamese: tự động (vi)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Breton: ^{(please verify)} emlusk (br)
• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} aŭtomata
• Icelandic: (1,2,3) ^{(please verify)} sjálfvirkur (is)
• Ido: ^{(please verify)} automata (io)

• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} otomatis (id)
• Telugu: ^{(please verify)} ఆటోమాటిక్ (āṭōmāṭik)
• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} otomatik (tr)

Noun

automatic (plural automatics)

1. A car with automatic transmission.

   I never learned to drive a stick. I can only drive an automatic.

2. A semi-automatic pistol.

   The G-men raiding the speakeasy were equipped with .45 automatics, while the local policemen were carrying revolvers and shotguns.

   • 1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 9, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 262:

     'The automatic under his pillow gave the lie to that statement.'

Antonyms

• (car with automatic transmission): stick, stickshift; manual transmission; standard transmission

Translations

A car with automatic transmission

• Danish: automatgear n
• Dutch: automaat (nl) m
• Galician: automático (gl) m
• German: ^{(please verify)} Auto mit Automatikgetriebe n

• Macedonian: автома́тик m (avtomátik)
• Russian: автома́т (ru) m (avtomát)
• Slovene: avtomatik m
• Spanish: automático (es) m

A semi-automatic pistol

• Armenian: ատրճանակ (hy) (atrčanak)
• Bulgarian: автомат (bg) (avtomat)
• French: semi-automatique (fr) m
• Macedonian: полуавтома́тски пиштол m (poluavtomátski pištol)

• Portuguese: semiautomática f
• Russian: автома́т (ru) m (avtomát)
• Spanish: semi-automática f

See also

(automotive):

• semi-automatic
• manumatic
• manual