automatic variable
nounA variable that a computer makes and sets up for you all by itself.
In many programming languages, a variable declared inside a function is an automatic variable that disappears when the function ends.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A variable in a programming language whose storage is automatically allocated when its block is entered and freed when it is exited.
The compiler stores each automatic variable in the function's stack frame.
3. A quantity that changes on its own without human control, as in an automatic process.
The thermostat treats room temperature as an automatic variable it adjusts by itself.
4. In some older languages, a variable declared with the keyword 'automatic' to request local storage.
The programmer marked the counter as an automatic variable to keep it local to the loop.