auton
English edit
Etymology edit
Coined by Robert Holmes in 1969, from a contraction of automaton.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
auton (plural autons)
- (science fiction) A machine or robot, usually in the form of a living being, designed to follow a precise sequence of instructions.
- 1974, Terrance Dicks, Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion, page 55:
- Not far away in the woods the Auton had been standing motionless under a tree. It was shaped like a man but it was not human.
- 1986, Vernor Vinge, Marooned in Realtime:
- Juan made seven attempts to pervert the auton. One involved twelve hundred years of careful observation, timing the failure of various subsystems, maneuvering the auton into a position where he might take control and get transportation to resources in near space.
- 2002, Sean McMullen, Voyage of the Shadowmoon, page 461:
- "The Metrologan Order built the auton that was Ninth. How can you be so sure that she was not so well crafted that she really did have her own will?"
Related terms edit
Translations edit
(science fiction) A machine or robot, usually in the form of a living being
Anagrams edit
Finnish edit
Noun edit
auton
Anagrams edit
Occitan edit
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
auton m (plural autons)
See also edit
Seasons in Occitan · sasons (layout · text) · category | |||
---|---|---|---|
prima (“spring”) | estiu (“summer”) | auton (“autumn”) | ivèrn (“winter”) |