auto-, aut-

(Greek: self, same, spontaneous; directed from within)

autoantibody, autoantibodies
1. An antibody that an organism produces against any of its own tissues, cells, or cell components.
2. An antibody that reacts against normal substances present in the organism producing it and is present in autoimmune diseases.
3. An antibody directed against a self antigen, i.e., against a normal tissue constituent.

An antibody (immunoglobulin) formed in response to, and reacting against, one of the individual's own normal antigenic endogenous body constituents.

Predictive Antibodies"

  • In autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, the immune system mistakenly manufactures aintibodies that target the body's tissues.
  • Certain of these "autoantibodies" appear many years before overt symptoms of any disease, suggesting that screening for these molecules could be used to predict who is at risk of falling ill.
  • Autoantibodies might also serve as guides to disease severity and progression and might even warn of risk for some nonimmune disorders.
  • Screening for predictive autoantibodies could one day become routine, although a scarcity of preventive treatments currently stands in the way.
—Excerpts from "New Predictors of Disease" by Abner Louis Notkins;
Scientific American; March, 2007; page 56.
autoantigen, autoantigenic; self-antigen
1. An antigen of one's own cells or cell products.
2. A "self antigen"; any tissue constituent that evokes an immune response to the host's tissues.
3. A type of antigen present in the tissues of an organism which causes the development of corresponding antibodies.

An antigen is a harmful substance that causes a person's body to produce antibodies to fight the body itself.

Antigens include toxins (poisons), bacteria, foreign blood cells, and the cells of transplanted organs.

autoantisepsis (s) (noun), autoantisepses (pl)
1. Any procedure that reduces to a significant degree the microbial flora of skin or mucous membranes: Sarah uses a hand sanitizer as an autoantisepsis after she has been riding the subway as a way to control any infectious bacteria that she may have come in contact with.
2. The prevention of a severe illness caused by an overwhelming poisoning of the bloodstream by toxin-producing bacteria: Mark takes his vitamins on a daily basis to support his natural autoantisepsis which helps him to stay healthy.
autoantitoxin
1. Anitoxin produced by the body itself.
2. An antitoxin produced by an individual that will inhibit the action of a toxin released from the tissues of that same individual.
autoantonym (s) (noun), autoantonyms (pl)
A word which can take two, or more, opposite meanings; for example, overlook means "to watch over carefully" or "to fail to notice".
autoasphyxiation
1. Asphyxiation of an organism (having breathing stopped) as a result of its own metabolism.
2. A cessation or failure of the respiratory process (breathing) as a result of internal metabolic activities.

The term metabolism refers to the entire physical and chemical processes involved in the maintenance and reproduction of life in which nutrients are broken down to generate energy and to give simpler molecules (catabolism) which by themselves may be used to form more complex molecules (anabolism) and it also consists of all of the physical and chemical changes that occur in cells to allow growth and to maintain body functions as food is converted into the energy and the products needed to sustain life.

autoaudible (adjective), more autoaudible, most autoaudible
Referring to sounds hearable to oneself: Autoaudible tones or noises arise within the components of the middle, or inner ear, and can pertain to the beats of the heart.
autobacteriophage
An autogenous bacteriophage, a phage obtained from the patient under treatment.
autobahn
An automobile expressway, or superhighway, in a German-speaking country or region; such as, Germany and Austria. Bahn is a German word for "road way".
autobiographer (s) (noun), autobiographers (pl)
Someone who writes about his or her personal life history.

An autobiographer is someone who describes his many interesting experiences, some of which are possibly true.

—Anonymous
autobiographic (adjective), more autobiographic, most autobiographic
Of the nature or character of an autobiography. Also, autobio, autobiog.
autobiographical (adjective), more autobiographical, most autobiographical
A reference to the presentation of one's own life history or experiences in the manner of an autobiography; such as, an autobiographical diary, or an autobiographical novel.
autobiographist (s) (noun), autobiographists (pl)
Someone who writes the story about his or her personal life.
autobiography (s) (noun), autobiographies (pl)
1. An account of someone’s life written by that person; literally, "self-life writing".
2. Marked by writing about one's own experiences and life history.

A man is dictating his life story to a stenographer.
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An autobiography is a book that usually reveals nothing bad about its writer except his/her memory.

—Franklin P. Jones

An autobiography is fiction written by someone who actually knows the facts.

—Anonymous
autobiosphere
That part of the biosphere in which energy is fixed by photosynthesis in green plants.

Inter-related cross references, directly or indirectly, involving word units dealing with "equal, identical, same, similar": emul-; equ-, equi-; homeo-; homo-; iso-; pari-; peer; rhomb-; syn-; tauto-.