automaton

au·tom·a·ton | \ ȯ-ˈtä-mə-tən

How to pronounce automaton (audio)

, -mə-ˌtän \

plural automatons or automata\ ȯ-ˈtä-mə-tə

How to pronounce automata (audio)

, -mə-ˌtä \

Definition of automaton

1 : a mechanism that is relatively self-operating especially : robot

2 : a machine or control mechanism designed to follow automatically a predetermined sequence of operations or respond to encoded instructions

3 : an individual who acts in a mechanical fashion He is an unfeeling automaton.

Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about automaton

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Did You Know?

The idea of the automaton has fascinated people for many centuries. A traveler to the emperor's court in Byzantium in A.D. 949 reported that mechanical birds sat in a golden tree singing the songs of their species; that mechanical lions flanked the throne, roaring and switching their great tails; and that, as he stood watching, the emperor's throne suddenly shot upward toward the high ceiling, and when it slowly descended the emperor was wearing new robes. Early automata (notice the common plural form) often relied on water, steam, or falling weights to power them. Today automata, often called robots, are used in manufacturing plants to build not only vehicles but also much smaller electronic equipment.

Examples of automaton in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Not so fast Picnic’s automaton is undeniably fun and impressive to watch. — Stephen L. Carterbloomberg, Houston Chronicle, "We made pizza. We made robots. Why not robot pizza?," 31 Jan. 2020 There are also showoff clocks and dazzling mechanical automatons. — Washington Post, "The Met is the world’s greatest art museum. Three under-the-radar shows confirm it — again.," 10 Jan. 2020 Look out, too, for a reproduction of an 18th-century automaton in the form of a life-size turbaned figure sitting at a chess board. — Washington Post, "The Met is the world’s greatest art museum. Three under-the-radar shows confirm it — again.," 10 Jan. 2020 This is not to say that the men Trump pardoned in November were victims or automatons. — Gil Barndollar, Twin Cities, "Gil Barndollar: Endless wars are corrupting our military and distracting the U.S. from bigger global threats," 12 Dec. 2019 Civilian kitchens aren’t equipped with machines that have automaton-like limbs to bring together a dough. — New York Times, "How to Make the Cardamom Bun That Took New York," 10 Oct. 2019 With some 100 young musicians onstage playing with an automaton, a certain amount of fluctuation is inevitable, Grossman said. — Zachary Lewis, cleveland, "Contemporary Youth Orchestra plans concert with digital soloist on ‘Spirio’ piano," 12 Nov. 2019 The purpose of bureaucracy is to turn people into automatons. — Robert Zubrin, National Review, "The Real Robot Threat," 18 Sep. 2019 And stocks always glitch—to the delight of those bond-buying automatons. — Andy Kessler, WSJ, "Stock Picking Is Like Time Travel," 13 Jan. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'automaton.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near automaton

autometamorphic

Statistics for automaton

Last Updated

14 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Automaton.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/automaton. Accessed 18 Feb. 2020.

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