automaton
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
automaton /ɔːˈtɒmət(ə)n/
▶noun (pl. automata /-tə/ or automatons)
- 1 a moving mechanical device made in imitation of a human being.
- 2 a machine which performs a function according to a set of coded instructions.
– origin C17: via L. from Gk, neut. of automatos ‘acting of itself’, from autos ‘self’.
'automaton' also found in these Oxford entries:
