Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,507,340,939 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

automatically

   Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.09 sec.
au·to·mat·ic  t-mtk)
adj.
1.
a. Acting or operating in a manner essentially independent of external influence or control: an automatic light switch; a budget deficit that triggered automatic spending cuts.
b. Self-regulating: an automatic washing machine.
2.
a. Acting or done without volition or conscious control; involuntary: automatic shrinking of the pupils of the eyes in strong light. See Synonyms at spontaneous.
b. Acting or done as if by machine; mechanical: an automatic reply to a familiar question.
3.
a. Capable of firing continuously until ammunition is exhausted or the trigger is released: an automatic rifle.
b. Semiautomatic: an automatic pistol.
n.
1. An automatic machine or device.
2.
a. An automatic firearm.
b. A semiautomatic firearm.
3. A transmission or a motor vehicle with an automatic gear-shifting mechanism.
4. Football See audible.
Idiom:
on automatic
Functioning by or as if by automatic machine or device.

[From Greek automatos : auto-, auto- + -matos, willing; see men-1 in Indo-European roots.]

auto·mati·cal·ly adv.
auto·ma·tici·ty (-m-ts-t) n.
Word History: The words automatic pilot or automatic transmission bring to mind mechanical devices that operate with minimal human intervention. Yet the word automatic, which goes back to the Greek word automatos, "acting of one's own will, self-acting, of itself," made up of two parts, auto-, "self," and -matos, "willing," is first recorded in English in 1748 with reference to motions of the body, such as the peristaltic action of the intestines: "The Motions are called automatic from their Resemblance to the Motions of Automata, or Machines, whose Principle of Motion is within themselves." Although the writer had machines in mind, automatic could be used of living things, a use we still have. The association of automatic chiefly with machinery may represent one instance of many in which we have come to see the world in mechanical terms.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Adv.1.automatically - in a reflex manner; "he answered automatically"
2.automatically - in a mechanical manner; by a mechanism; "this door opens mechanically"
Translations
automatically [ɔːtəˈmætɪklɪ] advautomáticamente
automatically [ɔːtəˈmætɪklɪ] auto advautomatiquement
automatically [ɔːtəˈmætɪklɪ] automatic advautomatisch
automatically [ɔːtəˈmætɪklɪ] advautomaticamente


How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
All the while she wondered if any strange good thing might come of her being in her ancestral land; and some spirit within her rose automatically as the sap in the twigs.
Such things naturally left on the surface, for the time, a chill which we vociferously denied that we felt; and we had, all three, with repetition, got into such splendid training that we went, each time, almost automatically, to mark the close of the incident, through the very same movements.
Moncharmin opened it automatically, seemed hardly to recognize Mercier, his business-manager, exchanged a few words with him, without knowing what he was saying and, with an unconscious movement, put the safety-pin, for which he had no further use, into the hands of his bewildered subordinate.
 
Dictionary/thesaurus browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.