Etymograph

English

automatic

Automatic comes from New Latin automaticus, from Latin automatum ‘automaton’, from Ancient Greek αὐτόματος ‘self-acting’ (αὐτός ‘self’ + a stem of μέμαα ‘to be eager’).

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEαὐτόματος1autómatos‘self-moving, self-acting’
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEαὐτόματον1autómatonneuter of αὐτόματος
  3. Classical Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEautomatum1‘automaton’
  4. New Latinc. 1500–1900automaticus1
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1923automatic1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English automatic
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1923, Ernest Bramah pseudonym; Ernest Brammah , (please specify the page): “"But you know of the automatic card-player?" […] Carrados…”.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEαὐτόματοςWiktionary, English automaticautómatos‘self-moving, self-acting’
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEαὐτόματονWiktionary, English automaticautómatonneuter of αὐτόματος
  3. Classical Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEautomatumWiktionary, English automatic‘automaton’
  4. New Latinc. 1500–1900automaticusWiktionary, English automatic
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1923automaticWiktionary, English automatic. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1923, Ernest Bramah pseudonym; Ernest Brammah , (please specify the page): “"But you know of the automatic card-player?" […] Carrados…”

A compound of αὐτός ‘self, myself’ + μέμαα ‘to wish eagerly, strive, yearn, desire’

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew ‘again, away from’

Ancient Greek αὐτός ‘self, myself’

Ancient Greek μέμαα ‘to wish eagerly, strive, yearn, desire’

The story

The original pronunciation, apparently with stress on the second syllable, was after the ultimate Greek base.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

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Today it means

adj Capable of operating without external control or intervention.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “automatic”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek αὐτόματος / automatic