auto-, aut-

1. The science of understanding oneself.
2. The study of oneself; self-analysis.

One who is fond of drinking his/her own bath water: Because Mary's husband turned out to be an autoloutrophilist and consuming the water he used for bathing, she decided that he must see a psychiatrist or else she wanted a divorce!

A shine or emission of light that comes from energy within a material; such as, that which is generated by radioactive materials: Many creatures in the deepest parts of the ocean have a form of autoluminescence, a glow that comes from them to illuminate their surrounding area.

1. The substances produced in the process of tissue autolysis.
2. A substance produced by autolysis.

1. Any agent that produces autolysis.
2. A lysin within an organism that has the capacity to destroy cells or tissue from that organism.

1. Self-acting disintegration of tissue.
2. The destruction of cells of the body by the action of their own enzymes.
3, Return of a substance to solution, as of phosphate removed from seawater by plankton and returned when these organisms die and decay.

That which breaks down plant or animal tissue by the action of enzymes within the tissue that is affected.

1. To cause to undergo autolysis
2. To induce or to undergo autolysis.

1. A compulsion toward solitude or of being by oneself.
2. A preoccupation or thinking about committing suicide.

1. To apply the principles of automation to something; such as, a mechanical process, industry, office, etc.
2. To operate or to control by automation.

Someone who is self-taught; self learning.

Learning acquired by oneself.

The self-acquisition of knowledge; self learning.

1. Acting or operating in a manner essentially independent of external influence or control; such as, an automatic light switch; a budget deficit that triggered automatic spending cuts.
2. Self-regulating; for example, an automatic washing machine.
3. Acting or done without volition or conscious control; involuntary; spontaneous; for example, automatic shrinking of the pupils of the eyes in strong light.
4. Acting or done as if by machine; mechanical; such as, an automatic reply to a familiar question.
5. Capable of firing continuously until ammunition is exhausted or the trigger is released; as with, an automatic rifle.
6. Semiautomatic; an automatic pistol.

The words automatic pilot or automatic transmission bring to mind mechanical devices that operate with minimal human intervention. Yet the word automatic, which goes back to the Greek word automatos, “acting of one's own will, self-acting, of itself,” is made up of two parts, auto-, “self,” and -matos, “willing,” is first recorded in English in 1748 with reference to motions of the body; such as, the peristaltic action of the intestines: “The Motions are called automatic from their Resemblance to the Motions of Automata, or Machines, whose Principle of Motion is within themselves.”

Although the writer had machines in mind, automatic could be used as a reference to living things, a use we still have. The association of automatic chiefly with machinery may represent one instance of many in which we have come to see the world in mechanical terms.

A broad term that covers methods of collecting data and entering it directly into computer systems without human involvement.

Technologies normally considered part of auto-ID include bar codes, biometrics, and voice recognition.