auton

plural autons

1. literatureA machine or robot, usually in the form of a living being, designed to follow a precise sequence of instructions.

   Not far away in the woods the Auton had been standing motionless under a tree. It was shaped like a man but it was not human.

   1974, Terrance Dicks, Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion, page 55

   2 more examples

   Juan made seven attempts to pervert the auton. One involved twelve hundred years of careful observation, timing the failure of various subsystems, maneuvering the auton into a position where he might take control and get transportation to resources in near space.

   1986, Vernor Vinge, Marooned in Realtime

   "The Metrologan Order built the auton that was Ninth. How can you be so sure that she was not so well crafted that she really did have her own will?"

   2002, Sean McMullen, Voyage of the Shadowmoon, page 461

plural Autons

1. A surname.