automatic transmission

English

a cutaway of a typical automatic transmission

This column-shifted three-speed automatic transmission offers a familiar gear pattern: P-R-N-D-2-1.

Noun

automatic transmission (plural automatic transmissions)

2. (automotive) A vehicle transmission which shifts gears automatically in response to vehicle speed and/or load, and does not require any driver input to manually change gears under normal driving conditions; an automatic gearbox.

   Synonyms: automatic (nominalized adjective), slushbox (informal)

   Antonyms: manual, manual transmission, standard transmission, stickshift, stick shift

   Hypernyms: transmission, tranny (informal)

   Hyponyms: dual-clutch gearbox, twin-clutch gearbox

   Meronyms: torque converter, automatic transmission fluid, ATF

   Coordinate terms: continuously variable transmission, CVT, DCT, MCT, semi-automatic transmission

Usage notes

The fluid-coupled geared type was the first and classic type of transmission that needs no manual shifting; even today, the term automatic transmission usually means that type unless otherwise specified, which makes CVT and other terms usually coordinate.

Translations

a mechanical transmission which shifts gears automatically in response to speed and/or load

• Bulgarian: автоматична трансмисия f (avtomatična transmisija)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 自動波 / 自动波 (zi⁶ dung⁶ bo¹)

  Hakka: 自動波 / 自动波 (ci⁴ tung⁴ bo¹)

  Mandarin: 自動變速器 / 自动变速器 (zìdòng biànsùqì), 自動排擋 / 自动排挡 (zìdòng páidàng)

• Danish: automatgear n, automatgearkasse c
• Dutch: automatische versnellingsbak (nl) m
• Finnish: automaattivaihteisto (fi)
• French: boite de vitesses automatique (fr) f
• German: Automatikgetriebe (de) n
• Japanese: オートマチックトランスミッション (ja) (ōtomachikkutoransumisshon), AT (ja) (エーティー, ētī) (abbreviation)
• Macedonian: автома́тски ме́нувач m (avtomátski ménuvač)
• Polish: automat (pl) m (colloquial), automatyczna skrzynia biegów f
• Romanian: cutie de viteze automată f, transmisie automată f
• Russian: автомати́ческая коро́бка переключе́ния переда́ч f (avtomatíčeskaja koróbka pereključénija peredáč), АКПП (ru) f (AKPP), автомати́ческая трансми́ссия f (avtomatíčeskaja transmíssija)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ауто̀матскӣ мѐња̄ч m, ауто̀матскӣ мјѐња̄ч m

  Latin: autòmatskī mènjāč m, autòmatskī mjènjāč m

• Spanish: transmisión automática f, caja automática f
• Swedish: automatisk växellåda c, automatlåda c

See also

• column shifter
• shifter