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autumn
author² v [T] especially AmE to produce or begin (something); be the AUTHOR¹ of: The senator authored the bill to help the unemployed.
au·thor·ing /'ɔ:θərɪŋ/ n [U] the activity of writing and designing WEBSITES: Internet authoring systems
au·thor·i·tar·i·an /ˌɔ:θərɪ'teəriən, ˌɔ:θə:-, ə,θɔ:-/ adj believing or demanding that rules and laws must always be obeyed whether or not they are right: an authoritarian style of government —authoritarian n: He's a strict authoritarian. —·ism n [U]
au·thor·i·ta·tive /ɔ:'θɒrɪtətɪv, ə-||'θɑ:rɪteɪtɪv, ə'θɔ:-/ adj 1 having or showing authority; demanding or deserving respect and obedience: an authoritative manner/tone 2 generally regarded as providing knowledge or information that can be trusted: an authoritative dictionary → compare DEFINITIVE —·ly adv
au·thor·i·ty /ɔ:'θɒrɪti, ə-||'θɑ:-, ə'θɔ:-/ n 1 [U] (a position that gives someone) the ability, power, or right to control and command: Who is in authority here? | He enjoys exercising his authority over his staff. | She thinks that young people have no respect for authority. | [+to-v] He doesn't have the necessary authority to make this sort of decision. 2 [C often pl.] a person or group with this power or right, especially in public affairs: The government is the highest authority in the country. | the local education/water authority | The authorities in Spain have refused to allow him to enter the country. | to approach the proper authorities for permission → see also LOCAL AUTHORITY 3 [C usually sing.] a paper giving this power or right: May I see your authority? 4 [U] power to influence: Although she has no official position in the party, her opinions carry a lot of authority. 5 [C[ᴜn]] a person, book etc whose knowledge or information is dependable, good, and respected: He is a leading authority on plant diseases.
au·thor·i·za·tion also -isation BrE /ˌɔ:θəraɪ'zeɪʃən||ˌɔ:θərə-/ n [C;U] (a paper giving) right or official power to do something: I can't spend this money without authorization from Head Office. | [+to-v] Do you have the owner's authorization to drive this car?
au·thor·ize also ize BrE /'ɔ:θəraɪz/ v [T] to give formal permission to or for: Who authorized the payment of this bill? | [+obj+to-v] I've been authorized (by the court) to repossess this property.
authorized 'capital n [U] tech the largest amount of money a company is allowed to raise by selling SHARES¹ to the general public
Authorized 'Version, the especially BrE also King James Version the English translation of the Bible made in England in 1611, when James the First was king
au·thor·ship /'ɔ:θəʃɪp||-ər-/ n [U] 1 the name of the person who wrote a book, play, poem etc; IDENTITY of the AUTHOR: a book of unknown authorship 2 the profession of writing books
au·tis·m /'ɔ:tɪzəm/ n [U] an illness of the mind, especially in children, in which the imagination becomes too important and good personal relationships cannot be formed
au·tis·tic /ɔ:'tstɪk/ adj suffering from autism: autistic children —·ally /kli/ adv
au·to /'ɔ:təʊ/ n pl. -tos especially AmE a car: second-hand autos | the auto industry
auto- → see WORD FORMATION TABLE
au·to·bi·og·ra·phy /ˌɔ:təbaɪ'ɒgrəfi||-'ɑ:g-/ n 1 [C] an account of a person's life written by that person 2 [U] this branch of literature → compare BIOGRAPHY —phical /ˌɔ:təbaɪə'græfɪkəl/ —phic adj —phically /kli/ adv
au·toc·ra·cy /'ɔ:tɒkrəsi||'ɑ:tə:-/ n 1 [U] government by one person with unlimited power 2 [C] a country, group etc ruled in this way
au·to·crat /'ɔ:təkræt/ n 1 a ruler with unlimited power 2 a person who gives orders to others without considering their wishes —·ic /ˌɔ:tə'krætɪk/ adj —·ically /kli/ adv
au·to·cross /'ɔ:təʊkrɒs||-krɔ:s/ n [U] BrE the sport of racing motor cars around open fields or country rather than on roads
au·to·cue /'ɔ:təʊkju:/ n a machine similar to a TELE-PROMPTER
au·to·graph¹ /'ɔ:təgrɑ:f||-græf/ n a person's name in their own writing (SIGNATURE), especially the signature of someone famous. Some people, especially children, collect the autographs of famous people: The little boys asked the footballer for his autograph.
autograph² v [T] (especially of a famous person) to sign (a letter, statement, book etc) with one's own name to show that one has written it: an autographed copy of a book
au·to·harp /'ɔ:təʊha:p||-'ha:rp/ n a musical instrument played by pressing a button for a combination of notes (CHORD) and then passing one's fingers over the strings
au·to·im·mune dis·ease /ˌɔ:təʊɪmju:n dɪ'zi:z/ n an illness or unhealthy condition in which substances which usually fight against illness are produced by the body and damage or destroy one or more of its own substances
Au·to·mat, au·to·mat /'ɔ:təmæt/ n trademark a type of American restaurant where food can be obtained from machines into which coins are dropped. Automats were popular in the 1950s and 60s but are now rare.
au·to·mate /'ɔ:təmeɪt/ v [I;T] to make (a business or industrial process) work by machinery with little or no work by people: a fully automated production line
au·to·mat·ic¹ /ˌɔ:tə'mætɪk/ adj 1 (especially of a machine) able to work or move by itself without operation by a person: This heating system has an automatic temperature control. | an automatic pistol/rifle (=able to fire continuously because the bullets are loaded automatically) 2 done without conscious thought, especially as a habit: The movements needed to ride a bicycle soon become automatic. | an automatic response 3 certain to happen: an automatic increase in pay every year —·ally /kli/ adv
automatic² n a machine or apparatus, such as a car or a gun, that operates automatically
automatic 'nervous system n med the part of the nervous system which controls those parts of the body which do not require conscious effort, such as the DIGESTION, the CIRCULATION, and the production of HORMONES
automatic 'pilot also autopilot n an instrument that guides aircraft, spacecraft, ships etc without needing human operation: (fig.) She's absolutely exhausted; she's just working on automatic pilot.
Automatic 'Teller Machine also ATM n AmE CASH DISPENSER
automatic trans'mission n [U] a system which operates the GEARS of a car automatically, so that the driver does not need to move them by hand. Most cars in the US have automatic transmission but it is still rare in Britain: My car has automatic transmission.
au·to·ma·tion /ˌɔ:tə'meɪʃən/ n [U] the use of machines that need little or no human control, especially in place of workers: redundancies owing to increased automation
au·tom·a·ton /ɔ:'tɒmətən||ɔ:'tɑ:-/ n pl. -ta /tə/ or -tons 1 a machine that moves or works by itself, especially a ROBOT 2 derog a person who acts without thought or feeling, like a machine
au·to·mo·bile /'ɔ:təməʊbi:l||-məʊ-/ n fml especially AmE a car: the automobile industry
au·ton·o·mous /ɔ:'tɒnəməs||ɔ:'tɑ:-/ adj having autonomy: an autonomous region —·ly adv
au·ton·o·my /ɔ:'tnəmi||ɔ:'tɑ:-/ n [U] the right of self-government or management of one's own affairs, especially of a state or group within a country: a political system that allows a high degree of local autonomy
au·to·pi·lot /'ɔ:təʊˌpaɪlət/ n → see AUTOMATIC PILOT
au·top·sy /'ɔ:tɒpsi||-'ɑ:təp-/ n a POSTMORTEM: to carry out an autopsy on the victim
au·to·sug·ges·tion /ˌɔ:təsə'dʒestʃən||-səg'dʒe-, -sə'dʒe-/ n [U] the influencing of one's feelings about things, physical condition etc by suggestion coming from within oneself rather than from another person or from the outside world: Many forms of relaxation use techniques of autosuggestion. —·tive /-stɪv/ adj
au·to·work·er /'ɔ:təʊˌwɜ:kə ||-ɜ:r-/ n AmE someone whose job is to make cars
au·tumn /'ɔ:təm/ also fall AmE — n [C;U] the season between summer and winter, when leaves change colour and fruits