Main Entry: au·tom·a·tism

Pronunciation: \ȯ-ˈtäm-ə-ˌtiz-əm\

Function: noun

1 : an automatic action ; especially : any action performed without the doer's intention or awareness
2 : the power or fact of moving or functioning without conscious control either independently of external stimulation (as in the beating of the heart) or more or less directly under the influence of external stimuli (as in the dilating or contracting of the pupil of the eye)