- automatic
- 1812, "self-acting, moving or acting on its own," from Gk. automatos, used of the gates of Olympus and the tripods of Hephaestus (also "without apparent cause, by accident"), from autos "self" (see auto-) + matos "thinking, animated" (see automaton). Of involuntary animal or human actions, from 1748, first used by Eng. physician and philosopher David Hartley (1705-1757). As an adj., in ref. to a type of firearm, from 1877; specifically of machinery that imitates human-directed action from 1940. As a noun meaning "automatic weapon" it is recorded from 1902; meaning "motorized vehicle with automatic transmission" is from 1949.
- automation
- 1948, in the manufacturing sense, coined by Ford Motor Co. Vice President Delmar S. Harder, from automatic + -tion. Earlier (1838) was automatism, which meant "quality of being automatic" in the classical sense.
- semi-automatic
- in ref. to firearms, 1911, from semi- + automatic (q.v.).
- pom-pom
- "Maxim automatic gun," 1899, of imitative origin, soldiers' slang from the Boer War. The unrelated word meaning "ornamental round tuft" (originally on a hat, etc.) is first attested 1748, from Fr. pompon (1725), of unknown origin.
- automate
- "to convert to automatic operation," 1954, back-formation from automated (q.v.). Ancient Gk. verb automatizein meant "to act of oneself, to act unadvisedly."
- override
- O.E. oferridan, from ofer "over" + ridan "to ride" (see ride (v.)). Originally literal, of cavalry, etc. Fig. meaning "to set aside arrogantly" is from 1827. The mechanical sense "to suspend automatic operation" is attested from 1946.
- squad
- 1649, "small number of military men detailed for some purpose," from Fr. esquade, from M.Fr. escadre, from Sp. escuadra or It. squadra "battalion," lit. "square," from V.L. *exquadra (see square). Until the introduction of automatic weapons, infantry troops tended to fight in a square formation to repel cavalry or superior forces. Sports sense is recorded from 1902.
- mechanic
- 1549 (adj.) "pertaining to or involving mechanical labor" (now usually mechanical), from L. mechanicus (n. and adj.), from Gk. mekhanikos "an engineer" (n.), also "resourceful, inventive," lit. "pertaining to machines" (adj.), from mekhane (see machine). The noun meaning originally was "manual laborer" (1390); sense of "one who is employed in manual labor, a handicraft worker, an artisan (chief sense through early 19c.) is attested from 1562. The adj. meaning "of the nature of or pertaining to machines" is from 1625; the noun sense of "skilled workman who is concerned with making or repair of machinery" is from 1662, but not the main sense until the rise of the automobile. Mechanical is attested from 1432 in the sense "of or pertaining to machines;" of persons or human actions, "resembling machines, automatic" it is from 1607. Mechanize is attested from 1678.
- taxi
- 1907, shortening of taximeter cab (introduced in London in March 1907), from taximeter "automatic meter to record the distance and fare" (1898), from Fr. taximètre, from Ger. Taxameter (1890), coined from M.L. taxa "tax, charge." An earlier Eng. form was taxameter (1894), used in horse-drawn cabs. The verb is first recorded 1911, from earlier noun use as slang for "aircraft." Taxicab is also first attested 1907. Taxi dancer "woman whose services may be hired at a dance hall" is recorded from 1930. Taxi squad in U.S. football is 1966, from a former Cleveland Browns owner who gave his reserves jobs with his taxicab company to keep them paid and available ["Dictionary of American Slang"], but other explanations (short-term hire or shuttling back and forth from the main team) seem possible.