English

Etymology

Noun

1. A machine or robot designed to follow a precise sequence of instructions.

   Due to her strict adherence to her daily schedule, Jessica was becoming more and more convinced that she was an automaton.

   A departure from principle in one instance becomes a precedent for a second, that second for a third, and so on 'til the bulk of the society is reduced to be mere automatons of misery, to have no sensibilities left but for sinning and suffering. - Thomas Jefferson

2. A formal system, such as finite automaton.
3. A toy in the form of a mechanical figure

Related terms

• automat
• automatic
• automatization
• automatize
• automation