Noun: autotomy o'tó-tu-mee
- Spontaneous removal or casting off of a body part (as the tail of a lizard or claw of a lobster) especially when the organism is injured or under attack
"The lizard's autotomy of its tail distracted the predator, allowing it to escape"
Derived forms: autotomies
Type of: remotion [archaic], removal
Encyclopedia: Autotomy