automaton
noun
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The idea of the automaton has fascinated people for many centuries. A traveler to the emperor's court in Byzantium in A.D. 949 reported that mechanical birds sat in a golden tree singing the songs of their species; that mechanical lions flanked the throne, roaring and switching their great tails; and that, as he stood watching, the emperor's throne suddenly shot upward toward the high ceiling, and when it slowly descended the emperor was wearing new robes. Early automata (notice the common plural form) often relied on water, steam, or falling weights to power them. Today automata, often called robots, are used in manufacturing plants to build not only vehicles but also much smaller electronic equipment.
Examples of automaton in a Sentence
Emilien Coquard, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
Both spotlight machinery, one boasting a drone, the other a female automaton.
—The New Yorker, 20 Sep. 2024
His women and men came out like automatons on his runways and moved like bullets, which was a whole new way of presenting unembellished clothes.
—Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2024
But there is a crucial distinction between what’s happening now and the last great breakthrough in robotic technology, when manufacturing automatons began to appear on factory floors during the late twentieth century.
—Illah Reza Nourbakhsh, Foreign Affairs, 16 June 2015
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Dictionary Entries Near automaton
Cite this Entry
“Automaton.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/automaton. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
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automaton
noun
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