auto-
English
Alternative forms
- aut- (used before a vowel)
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈɔː.tə-/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈɔ.tə-/, [ˈɔɾə-]
- (cot–caught merger) IPA(key): /ˈɑ.tə-/, [ˈɑɾə-]
Audio (Southern England): (file) - Hyphenation: au‧to-
Etymology 1
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-, “self-”).
Prefix
auto-
- Reflexive, regarding or to oneself.
- auto- + biography → autobiography
- auto- + erotic → autoerotic
Synonyms
Antonyms
- allo-, hetero- (different)
- syn- (concomitant)
- inter- (reciprocal)
- co-, con-/com-/col-/cor-, syn-/sym-/syl-, inter- (mutual)
Derived terms
Translations
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Etymology 2
Clipping of automatic.
Prefix
auto-
Derived terms
Translations
|
Etymology 3
Clipping of automobile,[1] itself equivalent to auto- (“self”) + mobile.
Prefix
auto-
- Self-propelled.
- Relating to cars or the driving of cars.
Derived terms
Translations
Derived terms
References
- ^ “auto-, comb. form2”, in OED Online , Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
Anagrams
Catalan
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-).
Pronunciation
Prefix
auto-
Derived terms
Further reading
- “auto-”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
- “auto-”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
- “auto-” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
- “auto-” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
Czech
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [au̯to ]
Prefix
auto-
- auto- (regarding oneself)
- Synonym: sebe-
- auto- + cenzura → autocenzura
Derived terms
Further reading
- “auto-”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
- auto- I in Slovník afixů užívaných v češtině, 2017
- auto- II in Slovník afixů užívaných v češtině, 2017
Danish
Etymology
From Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-).
Prefix
auto-
Derived terms
References
- “auto-” in Den Danske Ordbog
Dutch
Etymology
Internationalism (see English auto-), ultimately from Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-).
Prefix
auto-
Usage notes
- Unlike in English, words relating to cars starting with auto- (e.g. autoweg) are not seen to be formed by prefixation but by regular compounding with the noun auto.
Derived terms
Finnish
Etymology
Internationalism (see English auto-), ultimately from Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɑu̯to-/, [ˈɑ̝u̯t̪o̞-]
Prefix
auto-
- (in loanwords) auto-, self- (regarding oneself)
- (in loanwords) auto- (automatic)
- Synonyms: automaatti-, automaattinen
- autopilotti ― autopilot
Usage notes
- In Finnish, the prefix auto- is chiefly used with loanwords, see the examples above.
Derived terms
Further reading
- “auto-”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish][1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023
Anagrams
French
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-), from αὐτός (autós, “self”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /o.tɔ/, /ɔ.tɔ/
Audio: (file)
Prefix
auto-
Usage notes
- Auto- is sometimes added to reflexive verbs in order to stress the reflexiveness of the action. When this is done, the reflexive pronoun is always used as well:
- Je m'auto-sabote. ― I sabotage myself. (literally, “I self-sabotage myself.”)
Derived terms
Galician
Etymology
From Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-).
Prefix
auto-
Derived terms
From
.
Further reading
- “auto-”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025
German
Pronunciation
Audio: (file)
Prefix
auto-
Derived terms
Hungarian
Etymology
From Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”).[1]
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈɒuto], [ˈɒu̯to][2]
Prefix
auto-
Derived terms
References
- ^ Tótfalusi, István. Idegenszó-tár: Idegen szavak értelmező és etimológiai szótára (’A Storehouse of Foreign Words: an explanatory and etymological dictionary of foreign words’). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2005. →ISBN
- ^ Siptár, Péter and Miklós Törkenczy. The Phonology of Hungarian. The Phonology of the World’s Languages. Oxford University Press, 2007. →ISBN, p. 17
Indonesian
Etymology
From Dutch auto-, from Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [au̯to]
- Hyphenation: auto
Prefix
auto-
- auto-: regarding oneself
Derived terms
Further reading
- “auto-” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.
Italian
Etymology 1
From Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”).
Prefix
auto-
- (highly productive) auto-, self- (regarding oneself; by oneself)
- (highly productive) auto-, self- (automatic)
- (mathematics) eigen-
- (rare) homo- (same)
Derived terms
Further reading
- auto-1 in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
Etymology 2
From auto, automobile.
Prefix
auto-
- auto- (relating to cars)
Derived terms
Further reading
- auto-2 in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
From Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”).
Prefix
auto-
Derived terms
References
- “auto-” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”).
Prefix
auto-
Derived terms
References
- “auto-” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Polish
Etymology
Derived from Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /aw.tɔ/
Audio 1: (file) Audio 2: (file) - Rhymes: -awtɔ
- Syllabification: [please specify syllabification manually]
- Homophone: auto
Prefix
auto-
- auto-, as relating to oneself
- Synonym: samo-
- auto- + biografia → autobiografia
- auto-, automatic
- auto-, as relating to cars
Derived terms
Further reading
- auto- in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Portuguese
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”).
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˌaw.tu/ [ˌaʊ̯.tu]
- (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /ˌaw.to/ [ˌaʊ̯.to]
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /ˌaw.tɔ/
Prefix
auto-
- self-; auto- (done by or directed at oneself)
- auto- (automatic)
- auto- (relating to automobiles)
- (Brazil, linear algebra) eigen- (relating to eigenvectors and eigenvalues)
Derived terms
Spanish
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /auto/ [au̯.t̪o]
- Syllabification: au‧to-
Prefix
auto-
Derived terms
Further reading
- “auto-”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024