automata
nounUK /ɔːˈtɒmətə/
US /ɔːˈtɑːmətə/
Automata are machines that can move or work by themselves.
The museum had a display of old automata that could write and play music.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. The plural of automaton, meaning a person who acts like a machine without thinking.
The workers moved like automata, repeating the same motion all day.
3. In computer science, abstract machines used to study how computation works.
Students learned about finite automata to understand simple state machines.
4. Self-moving figures in ancient myths and legends.
Greek myths told of automata built by the god Hephaestus.