self-regulatoryadj.
/ˌsɛlfˈrɛɡjᵿlət(ə)ri/, U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈrɛɡjələˌtɔri/ 1. Of a system, process, etc.: that regulates or modifies itself naturally or spontaneously; of or relating to such regulation.
ΚΠ
1875 C. Reemelin Treat. Politics as Sci. xxv. 122 When the laws upon credit and money are right, monetary transactions are almost entirely self-regulatory.
1882 W. Coote Hist. Queensland I. Pref. p. xii A self regulatory system of immigration.
1965 World Politics 17 729 The most impressive of large and complicated self-regulatory systems have operated only within a contrived order.
2006 Sunday Times (Nexis) 28 May 16 His Gaia thesis saw the planet as an entirety of living things in self-regulatory balance.
2. Physiology. Of, relating to, or involving the internal regulation of the physiological processes of a living organism; (also) homoeostatic. Cf. self-maintaining adj. 2.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > lack of subjection > freedom or liberty > independence > [adjective] > self-regulating or regulated
self-regulateda1699
self-regulating1746
self-regulative1834
self-regulatory1888
1888 R. Roose Nerve Prostration iii. iii. 460 Here the self-regulatory power of the respiratory act comes into play.
1895 Bot. Gaz. 20 446 If the plant be a self-regulatory organism, it might be expected that when the normal stress is reduced, the plant would form less than the normal amount of mechanical tissue.
1905 Hatch Exper. Station Bull. No. 105. 34 This inherent self-regulatory characteristic, or power for mutually adjusting its component parts to each other.
1943 Harvey Lect. 38 92 Various phenomena,..such as coprophagy, infantophagia, autophagia, placenta eating, and bone eating, may be regarded as instances of self-regulatory activities.
2013 Plant & Soil 372 535/2 A self-regulatory mechanism to get rid of some sodium and chloride.
3. Involving or relating to the regulation of an industry, organization, etc., without intervention from external bodies; spec. designating a non-governmental organization which regulates its own members by establishing and enforcing rules and standards (frequently in self-regulatory body, self-regulatory organization). Cf. self-regulating adj. 3.self-regulatory organization and self-regulating organization are both frequently abbreviated as SRO.
ΚΠ
1923 Amer. Econ. Rev. 13 Suppl. 204 In the live-stock trade,..no single self-regulatory body can be expected to cover the case.
1938 Financial Times 20 Aug. 4/5 The scope of the self-regulatory powers to be entrusted to the industry under the proposed Enabling Bill.
1969 Times 5 May (Suppl.) p. iv/4 The National Association of Securities Dealers, the self-regulatory organization for the over-the-counter market.
2000 Building Design 18 Feb. 6/3 The House Builders Federation has announced that many of its members are imposing self-regulatory environmental audits on their projects.
2015 Australian (Nexis) 7 Jan. 20 The bank referred the situation to..the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Wall Street's self-regulatory organisation.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, January 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1875