# automatic

Pronunciation: US/UK say "aw-tuh-MAT-ik" /ˌɔː.təˈmæt.ɪk/; AUS say "oh-tuh-MAT-ik" /ˌoː.təˈmæt.ɪk/

## Adjective

1. Able to operate on its own, without outside control or human action.
   - Simple: Able to work by itself without a person controlling it.
   - _The factory uses an automatic system that runs without any operator present._
   - _Modern greenhouses rely on automatic controls to regulate temperature and humidity._
2. Done out of habit, without any conscious thought or decision.
   - Simple: Done without thinking, because you are used to doing it.
   - _Catching a falling glass is an almost automatic reaction._
   - _After months of practice, his finger movements on the keyboard had become completely automatic._
4. Required and inevitable, following as a matter of logic, law, or established rule.
   - Simple: Sure to happen because a rule or law requires it.
   - _Conviction on a second offense brings an automatic suspension of the driver's license._
   - _Reaching the qualifying age makes the pension benefit automatic._
5. Firing continuously while the trigger is held, until the ammunition runs out.
   - Simple: Firing bullets again and again while the trigger is held down, until the bullets run out.
   - _On automatic fire, the weapon emptied its magazine in a matter of seconds._
   - _Many armies restrict automatic rifles to short, controlled bursts._
7. Of a handgun, self-loading and firing a single shot per trigger pull, unlike a revolver or a fully automatic machine gun.
   - Simple: Of a pistol, loading each new bullet by itself and firing one shot per trigger pull.
   - _The automatic design feeds a fresh cartridge after each shot without manual cocking._
   - _She compared an automatic pistol with a revolver before choosing one._
8. Containing one or more finite-state automata as part of its structure.
   - Simple: Built from one or more simple machines that move through a fixed set of states.
   - _An automatic group can be described using a finite collection of state machines._
   - _Researchers showed the structure was automatic by constructing the required finite-state automata._
9. Added to and removed from the stack on its own as functions are called and return.
   - Simple: Created and deleted by itself when a part of a program runs and then finishes.
   - _An automatic variable lives only while its function is running._
   - _Because the counter is automatic, it resets each time the routine is called._

## Noun

3. A vehicle whose gears change on their own, or the gear system that does so.
   - Simple: A car that changes gears by itself, or the gear part that does the changing.
   - _He traded his manual for an automatic after his knee surgery._
   - _Most rental companies in the United States offer automatics as standard._
6. A self-loading pistol that chambers the next round automatically after each shot fired.
   - Simple: A handgun that loads the next bullet by itself after each shot.
   - _He preferred a compact automatic to a bulky revolver for everyday carry._
   - _She ejected the magazine from her automatic and cleared the chamber._

## Origin

Borrowed from New Latin automaticus, from Latin automatum ('automaton') plus the adjective suffix -icus, ultimately from Ancient Greek autómaton, the neuter of autómatos ('self-moving, self-acting, spontaneous'), built from autós ('self') and mémaa ('to wish eagerly, strive, desire').

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