autonomic

[ aw-tuh-nom-ik ]

/ ˌɔ təˈnɒm ɪk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR autonomic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

autonomous.

of or relating to the autonomic nervous system.

Physiology. under the control of the autonomic nervous system.

Cell Biology. produced by internal forces or causes; spontaneous.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Also au·to·nom·i·cal.

Origin of autonomic

First recorded in 1825–35; autonom(y) + -ic

Related formsau·to·nom·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for autonomic

He equated this response with altered activity of the autonomic nervous system.
Why Do We Cry?|Michael Trimble|January 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
That thing gibbering in the autonomic and voluntary nervous systems—merely fear.
West Of The Sun|Edgar Pangborn
And the end result seems to depend from the memories which have accumulated in our autonomic nerves.
Psychoanalysis|Andr Tridon
As regards ethics, Baader rejects the Kantian or any autonomic system of morals.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1|Various

To this system Langley has lately given the name 'autonomic.'
The Origin of Vertebrates|Walter Holbrook Gaskell
Autonomic nervous system: The vegetative nervous system which controls vital functions,—as digestion, respiration, circulation.
Outwitting Our Nerves|Josephine A. Jackson and Helen M. Salisbury

British Dictionary definitions for autonomic

autonomic

/ (ˌɔːtəˈnɒmɪk) /

adjective

occurring involuntarily or spontaneously

of or relating to the autonomic nervous system

Also: autonomous (of plant movements) occurring as a result of internal stimuli

Derived Formsautonomically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for autonomic

autonomic

adj.

1832, "pertaining to autonomy" (q.v.); used mostly in physiology. Autonomical is recorded from 1650s.

Medicine definitions for autonomic

autonomic

[ ô′tə-nŏm′ĭk ]

adj.

Functionally independent; not under voluntary control.

Relating to the autonomic nervous system.

Related formsau′to•nom′i•cal•ly adv.