au ‧ tom ‧ a ‧ ton /ɔːˈtɒmətən $ ɒːˈtɑː-/ BrE AmE noun ( plural automata /-tə/ or automatons ) [countable]
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: Greek , from automatos ; ⇨ ↑ automatic 1 ]
1 . a machine, especially one in the shape of a human, that moves without anyone controlling it SYN robot
2 . someone who seems unable to feel emotions or to think about what they are doing