# auto

Pronunciation: say "AW-toh" US /ˈɔtoʊ/, UK /ˈɔːtəʊ/

## Noun

1. Clipping of automobile: a car or similar passenger motor vehicle. *(Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Philippines, US)* — Clipping of automobile.
   - Simple: Short for automobile: a car.
   - _The mechanic said the auto needed a new battery._
   - _Streetcars vanished as the auto became affordable for ordinary families._
2. A setting that places a device into automatic operation.
   - Simple: A setting that makes a machine work by itself.
   - _She switched the thermostat to auto before leaving for work._
   - _On auto, the system adjusts the fan speed without any input from the operator._
3. A small three-wheeled motorized vehicle hired as a taxi, common across South Asian cities. *(India)*
   - Simple: A small three-wheeled vehicle used as a taxi in South Asia.
   - _She hailed an auto outside the market and haggled over the fare._
   - _Three autos lined up near the temple gate waiting for passengers._
4. An automatic transmission, or a car fitted with one rather than a manual gearbox.
   - Simple: A car gearbox that changes gears by itself, or a car that has one.
   - _Mechanics warned that the auto would need a fluid change every sixty thousand miles._
   - _The auto downshifts on its own when the car climbs a steep hill._

## Adjective

5. Clipping of automatic, describing a gearbox or transmission that shifts without driver input. — Clipping of automatic (of a gearbox/transmission).
   - Simple: Short for automatic: describes a car or gearbox that changes gears by itself.
   - _The dealership stocks mostly auto models these days._
   - _He chose an auto version to avoid using a clutch._

## Verb

6. To travel from one place to another by automobile. *(dated)*
   - Simple: To travel somewhere by car.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–2, 4–6** — Shortened from automobile or automatic, depending on the sense; both go back to Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, 'self'), the source of the 'auto-' element in words such as autopilot.
**Meaning 3** — A clipping of autorickshaw, formed from auto- and rickshaw.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/auto (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).