Main Entry:: au·tom·a·tism
Pronunciation:: \ȯ-ˈtä-mə-ˌti-zəm\
Function:: noun
Etymology:: French automatisme, from automate automaton, from Latin automaton
Date:: 1838

1 a: the quality or state of being automatic b: an automatic action2: the moving or functioning (as of an organ, tissue, or a body part) without conscious control that occurs either independently of external stimuli (as in the beating of the heart) or under the influence of external stimuli (as in pupil dilation)3: a theory that views the body as a machine and consciousness as a noncontrolling adjunct of the body4: suspension of the conscious mind to release subconscious images <automatism —the surrealist trend toward spontaneity and intuition — Elle>

— au·tom·a·tist

\-ˈtä-mə-tist\ noun or adjective

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