Get the FREE one-click dictionary software for Windows
or the iPhone/iPad and Android apps
Noun: automaton (automata,automatons)  o'tó-mu,tón or o'tó-mu-tun
  1. A machine built to carry out some complex task, esp. one which can be programmed and with many movable parts
    "The latest automaton can perform delicate surgical procedures";
    - robot, golem
     
  2. A machine that operates on its own without the need for human control
    "The factory floor was filled with automatons assembling car parts"
     
  3. Someone who acts or responds in a mechanical or apathetic way
    "only an automaton wouldn't have noticed";
    - zombi, zombie

Derived forms: automata, automatons

Type of: actor, doer, mechanism, worker

Encyclopedia: Automaton