automaton

noun au·tom·a·ton \ ȯ-ˈtä-mə-tən , -mə-ˌtän \

Updated on: 15 Mar 2018

Definition of automaton

plural automatons or automata play \-mə-tə, -mə-ˌtä\

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.

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Recent Examples of automaton from the Web

While many cat owners will say there's no way to improve on purrfection, researchers at USC are giving it their best shot by building a robot kitty — which could have an impact on other automatons.

— david lazarus, latimes.com, "California Inc.: Heads up, investors, it's the season of the witch," 12 Mar. 2018
Science looks into the latest efforts to make these anthropomorphic automatons, and uncover what may be on the horizon.

— andrew wagner, Science | AAAS, "Why do we keep making robots that look like people? This video has some answers," 20 Dec. 2017
To show that young North Koreans are not brainwashed automatons and are not just victims.

— anna fifield, Washington Post, "A new film captures North Korea’s ‘bold and audacious’ millennials," 15 Dec. 2017
This two-armed automaton did not recognize any of this stuff, but that did not matter.

— cade metz, New York Times, "In the Future, Warehouse Robots Will Learn on Their Own," 10 Sep. 2017
In that sense, I and my fellow theatergoers, who all but purr watching Arthur become almost human, are making the same mistake that Anna does, placing our hearts in an automaton’s flippers.

— ben brantley, New York Times, "Review: Romancing the Bot in Zoe Kazan’s ‘After the Blast’," 23 Oct. 2017
And in China, a 10th-century B.C. automaton made by inventor Yan Shi looked so humanlike, singing and winking at ladies, that the king became enraged at it.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "Are Blade Runner’s Replicants “Human”? Descartes and Locke Have Some Thoughts," 4 Oct. 2017
The brawny automaton records video and sounds alerts.

— janie har, The Seattle Times, "Growing dilemma: Automated jobs meet social consciousness," 3 Sep. 2017
Foer draws on numerous historical tech innovations, from Descartes’ automatons to Western Union’s cozy relationship with the Associated Press, to offer the early templates for modern Big Tech practices.

— steven zeitchik, Detroit Free Press, "Books: Why we should be very afraid of Facebook and Google," 24 Sep. 2017

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.

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.

Origin and Etymology of automaton

Latin, from Greek, neuter of automatos — see ¹automatic

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1639

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Mechanical Engineering Terms

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AUTOMATON Defined for English Language Learners

automaton

noun

Definition of automaton for English Language Learners

: a machine that can move by itself
: a person who acts in a mechanical or machinelike way

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See words that rhyme with automaton Spanish Central: Translation of automaton Nglish: Translation of automaton for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about automaton

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automaton

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Origin and Etymology of automaton

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