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 action
2 : 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 body
4 : 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