Definition of "automaton" in English

noun

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

2. A person who acts like a machine or robot, often defined as having a monotonous lifestyle and lacking in emotion.

   • Due to her strict adherence to her daily schedule, Jessica was becoming more and more convinced that she was an automaton.
   • July 12, 1816, Thomas Jefferson, letter to Samuel Kercheval Monticello 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.

3. A formal system, such as a finite-state machine or cellular automaton.

4. A toy in the form of a mechanical figure.

5. (dated) The self-acting power of the muscular and nervous systems, by which movement is effected without intelligent determination.