naniten.
/ˈnanʌɪt/, U.S. /ˈnænˌaɪt/ Science Fiction.
A nanomachine designed to build other nanomachines; a self-reproducing nanorobot.
ΚΠ
1990 Cinefantastique Sept. 40/1 Evolution... Good character drama, is negated by a silly ‘sci-fi’ premise in which Nannites are accidentally released..into the ship's computer system.
1991 Extropy 3 i. 35/1 Nanite, a self-reproducing nanotechnological machine.
1992 A. Steele Labyrinth of Night 315 Raw materials are being fed into the vats,..which in turn are being broken down into their basic elements by the nanites and reassembled into solid-state components for the starship.
1996 W. Shatner Return xiii. 120 The neuronic implant will kill him long before the nanites fatally reconfigure his body.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1990