automate

Back-formation from automation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɔː.tə.meɪt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɔ.toʊˌmeɪt/, [ˈɔ.ɾəˌmeɪt], /ˈɔ.toʊˌmeɪt/, [ˈɔ.ɾoʊˌmeɪt]
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɑ.təˌmeɪt/, [ˈɑ.ɾəˌmeɪt], /ˈɑ.toʊˌmeɪt/, [ˈɑ.ɾoʊˌmeɪt]

  • Audio (US)

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• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈoː.tə.mæɪt/, [ˈoː.ɾə.mæɪt]
• Rhymes: -eɪt

automate (third-person singular simple present automates, present participle automating, simple past and past participle automated)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To replace or enhance human labor with machines.

   Many offices still need to automate.

   We saved time and money by automating the process.

   • 1966, Thomas Pynchon, chapter 5, in The Crying of Lot 49, New York: Bantam Books, published 1976, →ISBN, page 83:

     In the early '60's a Yoyodyne executive living near L.A. and located someplace in the corporate root-system above supervisor but below vice-president, found himself, at age 39, automated out of a job.

• robotize

From Ancient Greek αὐτόματον (autómaton), neuter of αὐτόματος (autómatos, “self moving, self willed”).

• IPA^(key): /o.tɔ.mat/, /ɔ.tɔ.mat/

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automate m (plural automates)

1. automaton
   • 2020 June 19, “Stopper la haine sur Internet”, in Le Monde‎:

     Des monceaux de messages racistes, antisémites, misogynes ou homophobes s’étalent en permanence sur les réseaux sociaux, générés par des individus, mais aussi par des automates, soufflant sur les braises et semant le désordre à grande échelle.

     Mountains of racist, antisemitic, misogynistic and homophobic messages are permanently visible on social media, generated by people, but also by bots, fanning the flames and causing chaos on a vast scale.

• → Russian: автома́т (avtomát)
• → Turkish: otomat

• “automate”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• IPA^(key): /a.u.toˈma.te/

automate

1. nominative/accusative feminine/neuter plural of automat

automate

1. plural of automat