autograph

autograph
\ \ [17] Greek auto- was a prefixal use of the adjective autós, meaning ‘same, self’.
\ \ Many of the commonest auto- words in English, including autograph itself and also autocrat [19], automatic [18] (a derivative of automaton [17], which was formed from a hypothetical base *men- ‘think’ related to mental and mind), autonomy [17], and autopsy [17] (originally meaning ‘eye-witness’, and derived from Greek optós ‘seen’, source of English optic), are original Greek formations. But the 19th and particularly the 20th century have seen a mass of new coinages, notably in scientific and technical terminology, including such familiar words as autism, autobiography, autoerotic, autofocus, autogiro, autoimmune, automotive, autosuggestion, and of course automobile (originally a French formation of the 1870s). Automobile has itself, of course, given rise to a completely new use for the auto- prefix, with the general connotation of ‘motorized transport’, as in autobus, autocar, autocycle, and the German autobahn.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Autograph — Pays d’origine  États Unis Genre musical Hard Rock Glam Metal Heavy Metal Années d acti …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Autograph — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Autograph Información personal Nacimiento 1983 Origen Los Ángeles …   Wikipedia Español

  • Autograph — Au to*graph, a. In one s own handwriting; as, an autograph letter; an autograph will. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • autograph — [n] handwritten signature endorsement, handwriting, inscription, John Hancock*, seal, token, undersignature, writing; concept 284 autograph [v] write signature endorse, engross, handwrite, ink, inscribe, pen, sign, signature, subscribe, write by… …   New thesaurus

  • Autograph — Au to*graph, n. [F. autographe, fr. Gr. ? autographic; ? self + ? to write.] That which is written with one s own hand; an original manuscript; a person s own signature or handwriting. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Autŏgraph — (v. gr.), 1) was selbst schreibt, Copirmaschine; 2) bes. in der Mehrzahl Autogrăpha (Autographen), Urschriften, Manuscripte, welche Verfasser entweder selbst geschrieben od. wenigstens unterschrieben haben. A. von Fürsten, politisch berühmten… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Autograph — (griech. autógraphon, »Selbstschrift«), eigenhändiges Schreiben, Handschrift einer (berühmten) Person, Urschrift; in den ersten Zeiten der Buchdruckerkunst auch der erste, unter Aussicht des Verfassers bewirkte Druck eines Buches (Urdruck). – A.… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Autograph — Autograph, s. Hektograph …   Lexikon der gesamten Technik

  • Autograph — Autograph, d. i. ein Selbstschreiber. Man nennt so eine Maschine, welche so künstlich eingerichtet ist, daß sie das abschreibt, was man ihr vorlegt, wie die berühmte Hand in der Kunstkammer in Wien. Autographen dagegen sind eigenhändige Schreiben …   Damen Conversations Lexikon

  • autograph — index brand (mark), inscription, sign Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • autograph — ► NOUN 1) a celebrity s signature written for an admirer. 2) a manuscript or musical score in an author s or composer s own handwriting. ► VERB ▪ write one s signature on. DERIVATIVES autographic adjective. ORIGIN from Greek autographos written …   English terms dictionary

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