automaton

noun

au·​tom·​a·​ton ȯ-ˈtä-mə-tən 

-mə-ˌtän

plural automatons or automata ȯ-ˈtä-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.

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

Sport engages on a different level when stars become humans, not automatons. —Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025

Millie Bobby Brown—the closest thing Netflix has to an in-house star—plays Michelle, a teenager sympathetic to the automatons’ plight who rallies a group of misfits to dethrone a heartless tech mogul, Ethan (Stanley Tucci), who believes that humans and robots shouldn’t coexist. —Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 19 Mar. 2025

The victim is not some nameless, faceless corporate automaton. —Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 6 Mar. 2025

Birds are automatons with a repertoire of preprogrammed behavior. —Anelise Chen, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

earlier "contrivance with a hidden mechanism that appears to operate on its own," borrowed from Latin automatum, automaton, borrowed from Greek autómaton, noun derivative from neuter of autómatos "of one's own accord, acting without external intervention, natural," from auto- auto- + -matos, going back to Indo-European *mn̥to-, adjective derivative of the verbal base *men- "conceive a thought" (also in Greek mémona "[I] am eager, have in mind, intend," ménos "passion, resolve"), whence also Latin commentus "feigned, fabricated" (past participle of comminīscī "to think up, invent"), Sanskrit matá-, verbal adjective of mányate "(s/he) thinks" — more at mind entry 1

First Known Use

1639, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for automaton

• agamemnon
• diencephalon
• panopticon
• phenomenon
• aileron
• antiphon
• autobahn
• carillon
• castellan
• celadon
• cephalon
• chitosan

Kids Definition

automaton

noun

au·​tom·​a·​ton ȯ-ˈtäm-ət-ən 

-ˈtäm-ə-ˌtän

plural automatons or automata -ət-ə 

1

: a machine that can move by itself

especially : robot sense 1a

2

: a person who acts in a mechanical way