-mē, -mi noun
( -es )
Etymology: Greek autonomia, from autonomos + -ia -y
1. : the quality or state of being independent, free, and self-directing : individual or group freedom
the autonomy of every individual should be respected
2.
a. : the degree of self-determination or political control possessed by a minority group, territorial division, or political unit in its relations to the state or political community of which it forms a part and extending from local self-government to full independence (as in the dominions of the British Commonwealth)
b. : an autonomous body or community
3. : the sovereignty of reason in the sphere of morals : possession of moral freedom or self-determination : power of the individual to be self-legislating in the realm of morals — opposed to heteronomy
4. biology : independence from the organism as a whole in the capacity of a part for growth, reactivity, or responsiveness