Added 9 October 2026
automatic
/ˌɔː.təˈmæt.ɪk/ adjective
In Latin: automatus Wiktionary
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about automatic at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
Capable of operating without external control or intervention.
The automatic clothes washer was a great labor-saving device.
-
Done out of habit or without conscious thought.
The reaction was automatic: flight!
-
Necessary, inevitable, prescribed by logic, law, etc.
Spitting at another player means an automatic red card.
noun
Origin
Borrowed from New Latin automaticus, from Classical Latin automatum (“automaton”) + -icus (adjectival suffix), from Ancient Greek αὐτόματον (autómaton), neuter of αὐτόματος (autómatos, “self-moving, moving of oneself, self-acting, spontaneous”), from αὐτός (autós, “self, myself”) + μέμαα (mémaa, “to wish eagerly, strive, yearn, desire”). The original pronunciation, apparently with stress on the second syllable, was after the ultimate Greek base.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)