automaticadj.n.
/ˌɔːtəˈmatɪk/, U.S. /ˌɔdəˈmædɪk/, /ˌɔdoʊˈmædɪk/, /ˌɑdəˈmædɪk/, /ˌɑdoʊˈmædɪk/ A. adj.† 6. Relating to automatons; = automatical adj. 2. Obsolete. rare.
1. Of action, etc.: self-generated, spontaneous; (of a thing) self-acting; having the power of motion within itself. In later use (Physiology): having intrinsic activity that is not dependent upon external stimuli or central innervation; designating such activity; of or relating to such activity.
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the world > movement > [adjective] > self-moving
automatic1599
self-moving1600
autokinetical1642
self-movable1642
spontaneous1659
self-motive1671
self-movent1701
autokinetic1841
the world > action or operation > [adjective] > operating independently or spontaneously
unprovoked1585
automatical1586
automatic1599
self-acting1605
self-active1642
self-acted1651
spontaneous1664
authentic1834
semi-automatic1890
shoot-from-the-hip1967
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > types of machine generally > [adjective] > automatic
automatical1586
automatic1599
automatous1646
automatary1652
automatarian1656
automatal1682
self-acting1775
self-controlled1781
automative1794
automate1818
self-directing1831
autodynamic1869
1599 R. Roche Eustathia sig. D So some [plants]..might please her eie..And by sweete vertues odor, sume her sent, With grace automaticke, and redolent.
1808 Athenæum May 455 He [sc. Davy] began by observing..that there was in truth no automatic machine in nature, that all was of Divine origin.
1855 A. Bain Senses & Intellect Introd. ii. 50 The winking of the eyes is essentially automatic.
1870 Pop. Educator (new ed.) VI. 249/1 It [sc. the apparatus] produces an effect which gives the spectator the idea that the lady is truly ‘automatic’, and can do as she pleases.
1877 M. Foster Text Bk. Physiol. Introd. 2 We may therefore speak of the amœba as being irritable and automatic... [Note] In this work I use it [sc. automatic] in the older sense, as denoting an action of a body, the causes of which appear to lie in the body itself.
1905 A. P. Brubaker Text-bk. Human Physiol. xii. 299 The heart-muscle continuing to contract rhythmically, even after removal from the body and without the aid of any external stimulus is said to be automatic in action.
1940 G. S. Carter Gen. Zool. Invertebr. xvi. 301 Automatic control of rhythm in the nervous system occurs in other animals.
2004 A. E. Jeukendrup & M. Gleeson Sport Nutrition iv. 95/1 Gastric motility and secretion are, to some extent, automatic.
2.
a. Of a mechanical figure or device: that is an automaton; self-acting once set in motion. Now rare (in later use passing into sense A. 2b). Cf. earlier automatical adj. 1.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > types of machine generally > [adjective] > automatic > robotic
automatic1686
automaton-like1770
robotic1929
robotical1942
mechanoid1954
1686 G. Harvey Conclave of Physicians (ed. 2) ii. viii. 77 Their [sc. physicians'] Eyes fixt and immoveable, their Bodies stiff, like automatick Statues walking up and down.
1786 M. Haüy Ess. Educ. Blind vi. 240 (note) M. de Kempellan, the inventor of the automatic chess-player.
1799 tr. J. G. Zimmerman Refl. Men & Things 140 There are more puppets exhibited than at the show, full as automatic, and insignificant.
1802 W. Paley Nat. Theol. iii. 21 The difference between an animal and an automatic statue.
1852 Life & Times Charlemagne (Relig. Tract Soc.) 164 A water clock, which struck the hours, and was adorned with automatic figures.
1902 ‘B. L. Standish’ Frank Merriwell's Chums (1908) xxii. 135 While passing through the village.., Frank had purchased an automatic mouse. Being wound up, the mouse would run swiftly across the room.
2003 J. Shepherd et al. Continuum Encycl. Pop. Music of World II. 323/1 The ancient peoples of Asia and Egypt had ‘automatic statues’ which moved or spoke.
b. Of a machine, appliance, etc.: that does not require an operator; that works by itself under fixed conditions, with little or no direct human control. Hence of a process: based on or utilizing such devices. (Now the usual sense.)Originally designating mechanisms resembling those of automatons, but from the early to mid 19th cent. applied to a wide variety of mechanically or electrically operated machines, appliances, tools, and systems (sometimes opposed to manual: see manual adj. 5).
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1821 London Mag. Mar. 339/2 The Proprietors of the Apollonicon (an organ of immense powers, to which automatic machinery is..applied).
1835 A. Ure Philos. Manuf. 2 The finest model of an automatic manufacture of mixed chemistry is the five-coloured calico machine.
1844 A. Ure Recent Improvem. Arts, Manuf., & Mines at Spinning By his [sc. Arkwright's] patent inventions the several organs of a spinning factory are united in one self-acting and self-supplying body—a system most truly automatic.
1850 W. R. Grove On Correlation Physical Forces (ed. 2) 57 Automatic or self-registration of periodical phenomena.
1872 J. Yeats Techn. Hist. Commerce 370 Automatic machinery [for]..the drilling and boring of metal.
1922 Motor 21 Nov. 831/3 (heading) An automatic windscreen wiper.
1962 E. Bruton Automation vi. 74 An automatic washing machine may be designed to wash for four minutes, empty, and spin-dry for ten.
1976 J. Lukasiewicz Railway Game 78 Block signalling (manual and automatic), prohibiting the train from entering the next section of the track until the train ahead has left it.
1997 Bakers' Rev. Sept. 19/2 A new machine for the automatic production of liquid leaven or sourdough.
2002 Which? Sept. 40/1 The Nikon Coolpix 885 [camera]..is a good choice... It has both automatic and manual focus.
c. Firearms and Gunnery. Of a weapon: self-loading and able to fire continuously until the ammunition is exhausted or the trigger is released. Also sometimes (of a pistol): = semi-automatic adj. 2b.
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society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > [adjective] > repeating or automatic
repeating1736
six-shooting1858
automatic1877
auto1906
semi-automatic1911
1877 Independent (U.S.) 5 July 20/2 Smith & Wesson's automatic revolvers.
1902 Encycl. Brit. XXX. 401/2 In the modern ‘automatic’ machine gun the loading, firing, extracting, and ejecting are all performed automatically by the gun itself.
1902 Encycl. Brit. XXXII. 649/2 No nation has yet armed her forces with an automatic rifle.
1928 Evening Standard 1 Mar. 1 (heading) Traffic in revolvers and automatics.
1945 C. E. Balleisen Princ. Firearms xi. 123 The proof of an automatic weapon is its ability to repeatedly perform its cycle.
1977 Navy News June 6 The 2,500 ton warship is armed with an automatic rapid fire 4·5 in. gun.
1991 T. Mo Redundancy of Courage (1992) viii. 81 Someone..passed a revolver into his hands. Not an automatic pistol, a wheel gun.
2002 Esquire Mar. 183/2 O'Neill..requested that his agents be commissioned to carry ‘long guns’—rifles and automatic weapons—instead of just sidearms.
d. Telecommunications. Of a telephone exchange or system: operated by automatic switches and relays, without human involvement (now historical). Also: designating a telephone having a dial, so that a connection with another telephone can be made without human assistance (now disused).
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society > communication > telecommunication > telegraphy or telephony > telephony > telephone equipment > [adjective] > types of exchange
automatic1879
private1891
society > communication > telecommunication > telegraphy or telephony > telephony > telephone equipment > [adjective] > types of telephone
telephonographic1889
rotary1910
automatic1934
hands-free1955
1879 M. D. Connolly et al. U.S. Patent 222,458 We..have jointly invented a certain new and useful Automatic Telephone-Exchange..so constructed and arranged that any member of the exchange may..place himself in direct communication with any disengaged member of the exchange.
1914 W. Atkins Princ. Automatic Teleph. 1 In an automatic system of telephony it is required that the subscriber shall be able to obtain connection with any other subscriber without the intervention of an operator at the exchange.
1934 Discovery Mar. 58/2 The automatic telephone..has not been an unqualified blessing.
1955 Oxf. Junior Encycl. VIII. 433/2 In an automatic exchange, the connexion to the required line is made by mechanical selectors.
1977 Sci. Amer. Sept. 212/3 Switching theory..was developed to help design the relay-operated switching networks of automatic telephone systems.
2001 K. Roth tr. J. G. Rens Invisible Empire vii. 143 Bell Telephone in Canada, following a t & t in the United States, installed no automatic switchboards..before 1924.
e. Motoring. Of the transmission or gears in a motor vehicle: changing automatically according to speed and acceleration. Hence of a vehicle: equipped with this facility.
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1904 Auto 7 May 558 It is quite possible that in the near future Mr. Barber will be able to make an absolutely automatic gear of this kind for motor cars.
1908 Horseless Age 8 Jan. 40/1 (heading) New forms of the Sturtevant automatic transmission.
1926 Science (Amer. Assoc. Advancem. Sci.) 12 Feb. p. xiv An automatic gear box for automobiles that will do away with all manual gear shifts and greatly simplify the art of driving.
1946 W. H. Crouse Automotive Mech. xvii. 403 The Hydra-Matic drive..combines the fluid drive with an automatic transmission that has four forward and one reverse speed.
1954 Life 19 Apr. 19/1 (advt.) These beautiful new Packards are truly challenging cars, with the finest proved power features in the industry..and Packard Ultramatic, designed..for use in Packard-built cars, and freely acknowledged by engineers as ‘the finest of the automatic shifts’.
1980 Know about your Car (A.A.) 284/1 On an automatic car with a flat battery use jump leads.
2003 Pop. Sci. Jan. 80/2 The Striker has a twin-disc, six-speed automatic transmission and power assists throughout.
3. Of a physical process, attribute, or movement: (in early use) like that of an automaton; not motivated by intelligence or will; (later) occurring spontaneously, without conscious thought; instinctive; involuntary.
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the world > animals > by habits or actions > habits and actions > [adjective] > mechanical
automatic1694
the mind > will > intention > unintentional or unplanned character > [adjective] > unintentional or involuntary
unviseda1300
unwilful1398
unwilly1398
unbodena1400
voluntarya1450
non-voluntaryc1454
involuntary1531
unwilling1535
unwilleda1540
unmeant1550
unvoluntary1570
uncalleda1586
uncalleda1610
unintended1649
undesigned1651
mechanic1657
automatic1694
unmeaning1698
inadvertent1724
unbidden1726
unintentional1782
unweeting1794
unwitting1818
undeliberate1874
agnomical1881
1694 R. Blome in tr. A. Le Grand Entire Body Philos. ii. viii. x. 201/2 Death, or a total dissolution of the Automatick Conjunction in Brute Animals, but in Mankind a separation of the Soul from the Body.
1742 tr. H. Boerhaave Acad. Lect. Theory Physic I. 7 The Presence of those Diseases in the Body irritated it to exert a Sort of Mechanical Impulse, or inconscious Automatic Motion, for their Removal.
1797 J. Priestley Observ. Increase Infidelity (ed. 3) ix. 140 He [sc. primitive man] might have moved his arms and legs in an automatic manner, but he would not have been able to rise from the ground [without divine intervention].
a1845 S. Smith Elem. Sketches Moral Philos. (1850) xvii. 251 Actions performed without the spontaneity of the agent, are automatic.
1871 tr. F.-A. Pouchet Universe 106 The automatic nature of insects has only been maintained by those who have never observed them.
1908 Practitioner Jan. 12 There may be catatonic stupor, automatic obedience, and occasionally impulsive automatism.
1940 G. S. Carter Gen. Zool. Invertebr. xxi. 443 In so far as it is automatic this behaviour demands no higher mental functions than the automatic behaviour of non-social insects.
2006 E. Wyllie et al. Treatm. Epilepsy (ed. 4) iii. xvi. 245/1 Automatic behavior for which the patient has no memory is common to any confusional state.
4. Of an action, thought, etc.: not characterized by active, voluntary, or conscious choice; occurring, happening, or done unthinkingly, esp. as a result of habit or convention.
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the mind > will > intention > unintentional or unplanned character > [adjective] > unintentional or involuntary > without intention > automatic or mechanical
mechanical1607
mechanized1740
automaton-like1770
automatic1821
clockworky1864
mechanicized1877
1821 Edinb. Rev. July 325 Any law constructed on merely automatic and artificial principles, and not actuated by the living spring of conscience.., is useless.
1854 H. H. Milman Hist. Lat. Christianity I. iii. vi. 425 Mechanical and automatic acts of devotion.
1860 ‘G. Eliot’ Mill on Floss III. vi. x. 153 Stephen hardly knew..in what automatic way he got through the duties of politeness..until he was free and saw Maggie seated alone again.
1949 ‘G. Orwell’ Nineteen Eighty-four i. 40 When one saw a scrap of waste paper lying about, it was an automatic action to lift the flap of the nearest memory hole and drop it in.
1953 A. Hosain Phoenix Fled 175 I expected from him automatic obedience as from the other servants.
1991 S. Scrutton Counselling older People (BNC) 60 The rules of social politeness..will lead us all to respond to enquiries after our health with an automatic ‘Very well, thank you’ when often we may be feeling poorly or even downright miserable.
2001 J. Hamilton-Paterson Loving Monsters (2002) iv. 52 Was it the automatic response of the self-employed writer who daren't turn down work, no matter how inappropriate?
5.
a. Of, relating to, or designating writing (or occasionally some other action or behaviour) apparently produced by a spiritual or psychic agency, usually through a medium. Cf. automatism n. 4a.In quot. 1890 applied to the agent or medium.
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the world > the supernatural > the paranormal > [adjective] > automatism
automatic1855
automatist1920
the world > the supernatural > the occult > spiritualism > [adjective] > of or relating to spirit-writing
automatic1855
psychographic1863
pneumatographic1890
1855 R. Hare Exper. Investig. Spirit Manifestations 196 Being subsequently in the city of New York, I visited the public circles of Mrs. C., a medium for automatic writing.
1887 Proc. Soc. Psychical Res. 1886–7 4 212 Sometimes, following another tendency of automatic script, the signatures seem designed to meet expectation.
1890 W. James Princ. Psychol. I. viii. 209 Certain trance-subjects who were also automatic writers.
1909 Westm. Gaz. 10 Sept. 4/1 ‘Julia's’ decisions are given in two ways—sometimes clairaudiently, and sometimes by automatic handwriting.
1957 J. S. Huxley Relig. without Revelation i. 19 Many cases of automatic writing and automatic speaking..have been recorded and investigated.
1966 A. L. Rowse Diary 18 Sept. (2003) 375 Helena told me..about her being in contact with Bruce by automatic writing.
2004 Fortean Times Mar. 53/1 I've tried many techniques over the years—automatic writing, astral travelling, ouija boards and so on—without success.
b. Designating a form of (esp. surrealist) art or, in extended use, poetry, etc., produced spontaneously from the subconscious mind, rather than through the conscious intention of the artist. Cf. automatism n. 4b.
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society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > period, movement, or school of art > late 19th and 20th centuries > [adjective] > automatic
automatic1933
1933 D. Thomas Let. 11 Nov. (1985) 51 Automatic writing is worthless as literature, however interesting it may be to the psychologist & pathologist.
1951 A. Hill Painting out Illness xi. 74 I deny that true automatic pictures can be produced while both the eye and hand in subconscious conjunction are said to be ‘employed’.
1960 E. H. Gombrich Art & Illusion x. 358 The modern painter may use what he calls ‘automatic painting’, the creation of Rorschach blots, in order to stimulate the mind..towards fresh inventions.
1989 Mod. Painters Autumn 82/3 For the Surrealists, with their automatic writing and drawing, a more passive ‘finding’ and ‘seeking’ overpowered ‘doing’ and ‘making’.
2004 Times Lit. Suppl. 3 Sept. 9/2 A magnificent poet who extended the range and credentials of automatic writing, then strove to take the Surrealist spirit to a broad and varied audience.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > types of machine generally > [adjective] > automatic > connected with things automatic
automatical1665
automatic1859
1859 F. C. L. Wraxall tr. J. E. Robert-Houdin Mem. I. v. 74 He gave me the automaton I was to repair... I began my first automatic labours.
7.
a. Occurring as a matter of course and without debate; indisputable, guaranteed.
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the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > absence of doubt, confidence > assured fact, certainty > absolute certainty > [adjective]
sickera1400
undoubtingc1400
undoubtablec1425
doubtlessc1440
unsoilablec1449
unwithsayablec1450
undoubtedc1460
indoubted?1467
indubitate1480
undubitate1482
unrepugnablea1500
infallible1526
questionless1532
insoluble1533
irrefragable1533
undoubtful1533
inexpugnablea1535
uncontrolleda1535
undeniable1541
indisputable1551
indoubtable1557
unsoluble1559
uncontrollable1577
infringible1581
irreprovable1581
ungainsaid1587
unquestionable1587
unquarrelled1588
peremptory1589
irrefragatea1592
unrefellable1593
unrefutable1594
controversiless1604
unquestioned1604
undisputable1605
impleadable1606
contradictless1607
unargued1609
unchallengeable1611
uncontroversable1617
ungainsayable1618
irrefutable1620
indeniable1621
undenied1621
incontradictable1624
indenied1624
indubious1625
indubitable1625
undisputeda1627
uncontroversed1634
unchallengeda1639
God-given1642
indisputed1643
unconfutable1643
undubitable1643
incontrollable1646
incontrovertible1646
unquarrellable1646
watertight1647
unquaerable1657
uncontrovertible1664
incontestable1673
inconfutable1679
uncontestable1681
uncontested1683
uncontradictory1698
uncontradictable1707
incontested1712
irrevinciblea1746
contestlessa1750
innegable1772
irrecusable1776
unrebuttable1804
unassailable1830
unimpugnable1832
irrebuttablea1834
unquibbled1860
inarguablea1875
automatic1877
inoppugnable1885
indiscussible1893
indiscutable1933
1877 Memorandum Civil Service Estimates 5 in Accts. & Papers (House of Commons) IX. 679 This increase is due to automatic increments, of 203,447 l., and 50,555 l., in the Votes for Public Education.
1913 J. B. Ellis Diocese of Jamaica xiv. 164 A Fund entirely contributory, or with compulsory contributions, would give a clergyman on his retirement an automatic right to a pension.
1939 Ann. Reg. 1938 301 The Government's revenue would be so great that extinction of the debt would be automatic.
1943 Photogr. Jrnl. Sept. 355/1 When the Kinematograph Section was formed he was the automatic choice as Chairman.
1959 T. Reese & A. Dormer Bridge Player's Dict. 248 In technical terms, the Vienna Coup consists of the play of the top-ranking card of a suit so that a card of lower rank will be correctly positioned as a one-card threat in an automatic squeeze.
1976 T. Bailey Sir Gary (1977) vii. 69 As a batsman, he would have been an automatic choice for any Test team of any period.
1980 Economist 23 Aug. 41 Until the late 1960s the Abitur..was a passport to automatic admission to university to study any subject.
2009 Guardian (Nexis) 3 Aug. 2 There never has been an automatic right to British citizenship.
b. Esp. of a penalty or sanction: imposed as a necessary and inevitable result of a fixed rule or particular set of circumstances.
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1890 Times 29 Sept. 9/2 An automatic penalty, imposed by laws which no legislative enactment can repeal.
1920 Independent (U.S.) 17 Jan. 116/3 Workers at the Heinz plant are never subjected to autocratic punishment—a wrong deed carries with it an automatic penalty.
1941 Daily Progress (Charlottesville, Va.) 14 Jan. 11 This used to be an automatic touchback and the ball was placed in play on the 20-yard line.
1973 Guardian 26 Jan. 13/1 On the Monte Carlo [Rally], two reports of excessive speeding mean automatic disqualification.
1987 Daily Tel. 27 Mar. 2/2 If proven, it could constitute gross misconduct for which the automatic penalty is summary dismissal.
2004 Mod. Law Rev. 67 551 The Court of Appeal for England and Wales reinterpreted the automatic sentence of life imprisonment for a second serious sexual or violent offence.
B. n.
1. Any of various automatic machines, tools, or appliances (usually identified contextually); a device that operates by itself with little or no direct human control.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > types of machine generally > [noun] > automatic
automatic1870
black box1949
auto1961
1870 Dental Cosmos. 12 635 In reply to the invitation..to explain my electrical mallet, I will confine myself to..the virtues it possesses over all other so-called automatics.
1899 Cassier's Mag. 17 399/1 There are many..tools, solidly built, hand-operated in every detail, which..are better adapted than high-class automatics and semi-automatics.
1917 Amer. Machinist 47 17 Automatics used advantageously in the making of starter parts.
1921 Conquest 2 125 The full advantage of automatics will only be appreciated when a large number of automatic exchanges have been erected.
1938 Automobile & Trailer Trav. Mag. 3 22 Any flyrod reel will suffice, but I decidedly prefer an automatic.
1947 Pop. Sci. Monthly July 121/2 Of all the automatic washing machines on the market today..only three were manufactured before the war, so that automatics are actually still new.
1971 R. Brewer Approach to Print xii. 148 When printing presses were operated by hand, or were slow ‘automatics’ compared with today's high-speed units.
2004 N.Y. Times Mag. 4 Apr. 58/3 (advt.) Fine 27-jewel automatics..are usually priced well over $2000 dollars but you can enter the rarified world of fine watch collecting for under $200.
2. Originally U.S. An automatic firearm.
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society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > [noun] > type of firearm > repeating or automatic
repeater1838
self-loader1852
automatic1896
autoloader1906
autoloading1906
auto1916
burp gun1945
semi-automatic1964
1896 Chambers's Jrnl. 25 Apr. 269/1 The United States Navy Department has recently adopted a form of machine gun which is known as the Colt Automatic.
1899 Overland Monthly Dec. 555/1 A number of smaller rapid-fire pieces..including..a one-pounder Maxim-Nordenfeldt automatic.
1913 Sat. Evening Post (Philadelphia) 22 Feb. 57/3 (advt.) You can protect your home and family with an unfailing defender—the ten-shot Savage Automatic.
1914 G. Atherton Perch of Devil ii. vii. 269 I've even bought an automatic. I suppose..I should call it a gun.
1920 Blackwood's Mag. Aug. 154/1 A German automatic hung at his side.
1930 Sat. Evening Post 26 July 145/1 A sawed-off full in the chest an' half a dozen shots from an automatic as a chaser.
1945 Diamond Track (Army Board, N.Z.) 35/1 Everything was thrown into it—grenades, automatics, bayonets, and rifle butts.
1989 T. Clancy Clear & Present Danger xiii. 269 I miss my Python, but the Bureau's switching over to automatics.
2004 D. Klinger Into Kill Zone iv. 85 He..pulled out an automatic, jacked a round into the gun, and stuck it into the customer's stomach.
3. Without article. The automatic mode of operation on a machine, motor vehicle, etc., which also has a manual setting. Cf. manual n. 6.
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1941 Pop. Sci. Monthly Apr. 10/1 (advt.) On automatic, this patented trigger release mechanism effects perfect timing of the bolt action in relation to feeding.
1942 Tee Emm (Air Ministry) 2 89 Always take off and land in ‘Automatic’.
1978 Amer. Jrnl. Nursing 78 1696/1 If the infant is to remain under the radiant warmer more than 10 minutes, turn the control to automatic.
1997 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Sept. 102 (advt.) Our class-exclusive 5-speed Tiptronic..gearbox that lets you cruise in automatic or shift for higher performance.
2009 Sun (Nexis) 23 July 20 The joysticks are worked with their thumbs and they [sc. the soldiers] can fire a single shot, multi-shot or switch to automatic.
4. Originally U.S. A motor vehicle, esp. a car, having automatic transmission.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > [noun] > motor vehicle > with automatic transmission
self-shifter1933
automatic1949
1949 Newsweek (U.S.) 24 Oct. 65/1 (heading) Ford's automatic.
1966 Motoring Which? Oct. 124 The only automatic we have tested is the little Dutch-built Daf.
1984 Which? Oct. (Car Suppl.) 17/2 The BX range has recently been expanded with the inclusion of a diesel version, and there will be estates and automatics soon.
2005 R. Tope Cotswold Killing xviii. 274 Her courtesy car arrived during Thursday morning... It was an automatic, which needed a bit of getting used to.
5. American Football. A default offensive play called at the line of scrimmage (typically by the quarterback) to replace the play initially planned; = audible n. 2.
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1957 Winnipeg Free Press 1 Oct. 24/3 Getty got the jump on the defence several times by calling automatics as he came out over the ball.
1963 R. Smith Pro Football xiv. 156 At calling automatics..Norman had no superior.
1971 B. Parrish They call it Game 94 The automatic is now the fad in football. The quarterback, after identifying the next play in the huddle, often changes it when he sees the arrangement of the defence at the line of scrimmage.
2007 Sarasota (Florida) Herald-Tribune (Nexis) 17 Nov. (Sports section) c8 The automatic was actually called for Vern Kearney but I looked to the left and saw that a little tiny DB had man-to-man coverage on Andre.
Compounds
automatic brake n. Railways a brake which operates automatically; esp. one which automatically halts goods wagons or passenger carriages which have accidentally become detached from a moving train.
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1858 Amer. Railway Times 27 Feb. 1/7 Automatic brakes were to be applied to the carriages.
1906 E. Nesbit Railway Children (1991) iv. 62 This 'ere's the automatic brake... You just move this 'ere little handle..and the train jolly soon stops.
2005 Richmond (Virginia) Times Disp. (Nexis) 26 Oct. b7 As the train pulled away, the car's automatic brakes failed and it began to inch downhill.
automatic dialler n. Telecommunications a device that dials telephone numbers automatically; spec. = autodialler n.
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society > communication > telecommunication > telegraphy or telephony > telephony > telephone equipment > [noun] > telephone > telephone facilities
automatic dialler1922
dialler1922
autodial1934
autodialler1960
redial1960
auto-answer1961
hold1965
camp-on1975
caller ID1978
voicebank1988
1922 Pacific Telephone Mag. Nov. 49/1 An automatic dialer was used, so that the model was in operation at all times during the entire five days of the fair. Models of the new automatic phones which are now being installed in San Diego were also on exhibition.
1969 Daily Tel. 3 Feb. 4/5 The automatic diallers are expected to benefit businesses mainly with a large volume of regular calls.
1976 National Observer (U.S.) 10 Apr. 9/1 The equipment includes telephone-answering devices, burglar-alarm systems, automatic dialers, teletypers.
2005 W. Johnson Stephen Harper (2006) xviii. 300 The campaign hired at the cost of twenty thousand dollars an automatic dialler with one thousand lines.
automatic direction finder n. a navigational aid used in aircraft and ships which continuously and automatically displays the bearing of the nearest radio beacon; abbreviated ADF.Cf. radio direction finder n. at radio n. Compounds 3, which is not necessarily automatic.
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1938 Sci. News Let. 22 Oct. 259/1 The pilot who wanders off the radio beam..will nevertheless not be lost if he is equipped with the newly-developed automatic direction finder.
1969 Amer. Math. Monthly 76 1013 We assume that the airplane is using ADF (automatic direction finder), so at all times the plane is pointed to the city of destination.
2001 Flying May 82/1 The automatic direction finder (ADF) is another useful navigation device though it too has fallen out of favor with the advent of loran and GPS.
automatic following n. Radar the automatic following by a radar of a chosen target; = auto-following adj. and n. at auto- comb. form1 2b; frequently attributive.
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society > communication > telecommunication > radio communications > [noun] > other methods or operations > radar > types of
radio sounding1922
auto-following1946
automatic following1946
shoran1946
auto-follow1947
pulse radar1947
colidar1961
1946 Jrnl. Inst. Electr. Engineers 93 iii. 17/1 Automatic-following radar..was of the essence of the A.A. gunnery successes against flying bombs.
1958 Biogr. Mem. Fellows Royal Soc. 4 108 The matter of automatic following of the hostile aeroplane by radar devices gave difficult problems which were exactly suited to his gifts.
2007 J. Wise in J. Jordan Warship 2007 27/1 An automatic following system, controlled from the 901, is therefore incorporated to direct the telemetry aerial to the missile in flight.
automatic frequency control n. the automatic stabilization of the frequency or tuning of a circuit; a means for achieving this; abbreviated AFC.
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society > communication > telecommunication > radio communications > radio equipment > [noun] > radio set > controls
automatic frequency control1921
automatic volume control1924
automatic gain control1925
channel selector1931
fine tuner1965
1921 Physical Rev. 17 536 The tuning fork acts as an automatic frequency control of high precision.
1973 Gramophone Sept. 446 (advt.) AM/FM radio cassette recorder with 2 microphones including a built-in condenser mic. and automatic frequency control.
2007 L. Loverock in P. Mayles et al. Handbk. Radiotherapy Physics xi. 234 Automatic Frequency Control (AFC) is employed in all linacs to keep them operating at their intended frequencies.
automatic gain control n. the automatic regulation of the gain or amplification in an electronic device; a means for achieving this; abbreviated AGC.The purpose of automatic gain control is usually to keep an output signal within a certain range irrespective of variation of the input.
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society > communication > telecommunication > radio communications > radio equipment > [noun] > radio set > controls
automatic frequency control1921
automatic volume control1924
automatic gain control1925
channel selector1931
fine tuner1965
1925 Brit. Patent 222,104 4/2 (heading) Automatic gain control operation.
1975 Times 19 Apr. 18/8 The 160 also incorporates a sound recording system including amplifier with automatic gain control.
2007 A. S. Hickin et al. in G. S. Baker & H. M. Jol Stratigr. Anal. Using GPR 138 To view weaker signals at later times (deeper signals) the signal was amplified by automatic gain control (AGC).
automatic helmsman n. Nautical a device which automatically keeps a ship on a preset heading; = automatic pilot n. 2b; cf. iron mike n. at iron adj. Compounds 2.
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society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > steering equipment > [noun] > helm > automatic steering devices
automatic helmsman1895
iron mike1923
automatic pilot1928
metal Mike1929
1895 Amer. Engineer & Railroad Jrnl. Feb. 60/2 An automatic helmsman, or application of electricity to the direction of the course of a vessel, is described in a French electrical journal.
1937 Jrnl. Royal Aeronaut. Soc. 41 415 The automatic helmsman or ‘Iron Mike’ for marine craft was a proved success.
1998 Western Morning News (Plymouth) (Nexis) 16 June 5 The most essential factor is keeping a visual watch and not relying on the automatic helmsman.
automatic landing n. Aeronautics landing of an aircraft that is automatic in some way; spec. landing in which a pilot is guided by instruments rather than by visual observation; an instance of such a landing.
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society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > specific flying operations or procedures > [noun] > landing > by instruments or automatic
automatic landing1910
instrument landing (system)1942
1910 Aircraft Sept. 261/2 A special feature of the monoplane is a patent automatic landing device.
1920 War Expenditures: Hearings before Subcomm. No. 1 (Aviation) Select Comm. on Expend. War Dept. (U.S. House of Representatives, 66th Congr. 1st Sess. Serial 2) III. 4018 Aeronautical engineers are working on a device for the automatic landing of a mechanically flown aeroplane.
1958 Times 17 Oct. 3/4 More than 2,000 completely automatic landings, some in thick fog and others in strong cross-winds, have been made.
2001 New Scientist 13 Oct. 5/2 The Joint Precision Approach and Landing System..could, with further development, form the core of an emergency automatic landing system.
automatic machine n. any machine that operates automatically; (in later use esp.) a vending machine.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > types of machine generally > [noun] > coin-operated
automatic machine1808
slot-machine1891
automat1895
penny-in-the-slot1922
slot1950
coin-op1960
1808Automatic machine [see sense A. 1].
1887 Judy 24 Aug. A patent has just been applied for to supply liquor by means of automatic machines.
1903 G. B. Shaw Man & Superman i. 14 A box of matches will come out of an automatic machine when I put a penny in the slot.
1953 Manch. Guardian Weekly 3 Dec. 15/2 Many factories are spending large sums on ‘automation’, that is, the adoption of automatic machines working together with little labour.
2003 Independent 19 Mar. (Review section) 13/3 Automatic machines that are being installed at stops on routes served by the new ‘bendy-buses’, for which all passengers require a ticket before boarding.
automatic observer n. Aeronautics (now historical) a means of photographing cockpit instrument readings at intervals, usually automatically.
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1920 Ann. Rep. Director (U.S. National Bureau of Standards) 102 The following tests of a general nature were carried out during the current year: Compression test of Motor No. 102 for the Willys Corporation, test of a Turner-Long automatic observer for the Air Service, [etc.].
1936 Aircraft Engin. Dec. 330/2 An ‘automatic observer’ was not employed from considerations of weight.
2002 H. A. Skaarup Calif. Warbird Survivors 2002 181 There was no telemetry and the automatic observer, an instrument panel in the gun bay photographed by a camera activated by the pilot, still represented the state of the art in data recording systems.
automatic parachute n. a parachute that opens automatically, esp. one operated by a static line.
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1897 Scribner's Mag. Nov. 617 A quaint rocket camera which was to be sent aloft until the projectile exhausted its energy, when an automatic parachute was to spread itself to make the descent.
1912 Times 27 June 9/6 Official trials of the Kotelnikoff automatic parachute were held to-day.
1951 Gloss. Aeronaut. Terms (B.S.I.) iii. 13 Automatic parachute, a parachute which is withdrawn from its pack by a static line.
2003 Coventry Evening Tel. (Nexis) 16 Sept. 4 I wasn't able to pull open my parachute cord at 3000ft. I was lucky the automatic parachute opened at 750ft and I walked away uninjured.
automatic shut-off n. a facility for automatically stopping the operation of a device, machine, etc., in certain circumstances.
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1852 Sci. Amer. 3 Apr. 227/3 An automatic shut-off or switch is connected with the bell-frames.
1931 Pop. Sci. Monthly Oct. 27 A new ball valve for water faucets serves as an automatic shut-off.
1991 Women's Day Best Ideas Winter 26/3 You'll find bath ventilators teamed up with heaters,..variable speed and sound controls and humidistat automatic shut-offs.
automatic stabilizer n. (a) originally and chiefly Aeronautics a device in an aircraft or ship for automatically maintaining a set attitude; (b) Economics an economic mechanism which tends to limit fluctuations in the economy by responding automatically to changes in wage levels, unemployment levels, gross domestic product, etc.
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society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > aeroplane > parts of aircraft > [noun] > stabilizer
fin1835
stabilizator1902
equilibrator1908
automatic stabilizer1909
stabilizer1909
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > other equipment of vessel > [noun] > device to increase stability > other stabilizing devices
automatic stabilizer1909
hydrofoil1920
gyro-stabilizer1921
1909 Flight 17 July 434/2 The automatic stabiliser must..show a strong and immediate tendency to return to its proper normal working position under all conditions.
1948 Amer. Econ. Rev. 38 435 As to personal taxes, the gain in ‘built-in flexibility’ through the adoption of withholding and of quarterly payments under declarations of estimated income has of course greatly improved them as an automatic stabilizer.
1959 R. H. Thornton Brit. Shipping (ed. 2) vii. 106 The automatic stabiliser, an anti-rolling device of obvious value in passenger ships, is substantially a large version of the auto-pilot.
2001 Observer 28 Oct. (Business section) 2/6 Berlin should allow the automatic stabilisers to work—and delay planned further spending cuts.
2004 D. Harris Flight Instruments & Automatic Flight Control Syst. (ed. 6) vi. 153 In the case of the automatic stabiliser trim system, there is always a trim indicator on the flight deck.
automatic teller n. originally U.S. any machine that performs the functions of a bank teller; (now esp.) a machine that automatically provides cash and performs some other banking services on insertion of a special card; = ATM n. at A n. Initialisms.
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society > trade and finance > financial dealings > banking > [noun] > cash dispenser
money teller1594
cash machine1890
bank machine1920
teller machine1921
automatic teller1924
automatic teller machine1967
cash dispenser1967
automated teller machine1973
cashpoint1973
money machine1973
ATM1975
hole-in-the-wall1985
1924 Pop. Mech. Mag. Feb. 243/2 (caption) Automatic teller that identifies savings depositor, accepts money, and issues a stamped receipt.
1971 Amer. Banker 31 Aug. 8/3 Depositors seal their deposits in envelopes which are provided and insert them in the ‘automatic teller’, which flashes a Thank You sign and issues a receipt.
2001 Illawarra (Austral.) Mercury (Nexis) 27 June 4 She encountered some problems trying to withdraw money from the ANZ bank's automatic teller. When the ATM spat back her card, Lyn assumed it was not working.
automatic teller machine n. = automatic teller n.; abbreviated ATM.
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society > trade and finance > financial dealings > banking > [noun] > cash dispenser
money teller1594
cash machine1890
bank machine1920
teller machine1921
automatic teller1924
automatic teller machine1967
cash dispenser1967
automated teller machine1973
cashpoint1973
money machine1973
ATM1975
hole-in-the-wall1985
1967 Independent Press-Telegram (Long Beach, Calif.) 22 Oct. 52 (caption) Automatic teller machine... No waiting, no fuss.
1977 Science 18 Mar. 1116/1 Automatic teller machines (ATM's) for commercial banking being developed are in various stages of pilot testing.
1983 N.Y. Times 15 May 15 About 1,300 automatic teller machines are now in use at American supermarkets.
2006 Place in Sun May 142/1 Firstly, don't use an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine). It's awfully tempting to head for the hole in the wall, now that credit cards can be used to make cash withdrawals practically anywhere in the world.
automatic tension n. a device on a sewing machine that automatically adjusts the tension of the thread.
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1864 Times 28 Dec. 11/3 (advt.) The Alexandra lock-stitch sewing machine,..with improved automatic tension.
1906 Bystander 5 Dec. 531/1 In the case of the Willcox and Gibbs' [sewing] machine, noiselessness is..a first feature, and because of the automatic tension, especially easy to work.
2004 N. Zieman Sewing with Confidence ii. 16 Automatic tension. Does the machine set the thread tension automatically?
automatic train control n. automatic regulation or control of the speed of a train; any of various signalling or braking systems used effect this (frequently attributive).
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society > travel > rail travel > [noun] > operation of railways > system of control
automatic train control1904
1904 N.Y. Times 16 May 8/3 The electrical equipment of the subway..includes a device known as the automatic train control system.
1936 Economist 25 Jan. 178/2 Security against collisions of this kind can only be provided by a combination of track-circuiting..and automatic train control.
1999 Express (Nexis) 8 Oct. The Japanese Shinkansen Bullet trains have not had a..serious accident in 35 years... The trains have an Automatic Train Control which keeps a safe distance between trains and applies the brakes if they go too fast.
automatic translation n. = machine translation n. at machine n. Compounds 2.
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the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > meaning > explanation, exposition > translation > [noun] > by computer
automatic translation1949
machine translation1952
MT1959
1949 Blizzard (Oil City, Pa.) 8 June 6/1 Automatic translation... For the latest ‘electric brain’ it is promised that it will..be able to translate from two selected foreign languages into English.
1971 N. Amer. Rev. Spring 2/3 We will be able to..get automatic translations of literature in any language.
2009 Mirror (Nexis) 11 July 23 A French business newspaper launched a multilingual version of its website using automatic translation.
automatic volume control n. = automatic gain control n.; abbreviated AVC.
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society > communication > telecommunication > radio communications > radio equipment > [noun] > radio set > controls
automatic frequency control1921
automatic volume control1924
automatic gain control1925
channel selector1931
fine tuner1965
1924 Chester (Pa.) Times 8 Feb. 13 (advt.) These sets are designed to be extremely selective... Distance—uses three tubes controlled by automatic volume control rheostats.
1930 Proc. IRE 18 321 The severe fluctuation of the signal..indicates the desirability of some form of automatic volume control.
2003 P. Utz Introd. Audio v. 89 In many cases the automatic volume control does a nice job. These are situations where the volume of the source is generally steady.
automatic writing n. see sense A. 5.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2011; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1599