automation

American  

[aw-tuh-mey-shuhn] / ˌɔ təˈmeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the technique, method, or system of operating or controlling a process by highly automatic means, as by electronic devices, reducing human intervention to a minimum.

2. a mechanical device, operated electronically, that functions automatically, without continuous input from an operator.

3. act or process of automating.

4. the state of being automated.

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automation British  

/ ˌɔːtəˈmeɪʃən /

noun

1. the use of methods for controlling industrial processes automatically, esp by electronically controlled systems, often reducing manpower

2. the extent to which a process is so controlled

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Other Word Forms

• proautomation adjective

Etymology

Origin of automation

First recorded in 1945–50; autom(atic) ( def. ) + (oper)ation ( def. )

Example Sentences

Synopsys is the largest provider of electronic design automation software, which is used to design semiconductors.

From Barron's

Politicians ignored Silicon Valley jobs where automation language hid a workforce of immigrants, often women, frequently undocumented.

From The Wall Street Journal

As a pair of academics wrote recently in MIT Sloan Management Review, “The barrier to full automation isn’t raw capability—it’s a stack of human, legal and cultural constraints.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Joyce Pont is sceptical whether that moment will arrive in the foreseeable future – she sees the building of superyachts and other such vessels as a 'craft' which will resist automation.

From BBC

The possible beneficiaries include companies in the industrials, capital goods and tech hardware sectors, particularly in manufacturing, aerospace and automation.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• computerization
• industrialization
• mechanization