Word of the Day: Auto
From discussion with a co-worker. Specifically, I assumed it was being used as a contraction of automatic. They were using it as the prefix.
From EtymOnline: comb. element meaning "self, one's own, by oneself," from Gk. auto- "self, one's own," combining form of autos "self, same," of unknown origin. Before a vowel, aut-; before an aspirate, auth-. In Greek also used as a prefix to proper names, e.g. automelinna "Melinna herself." The opposite prefix would be allo-.
Which leads me to wonder as to the meaning of -matic.
From EtymOnline: automatic (adj.) "self-acting, moving or acting on its own," 1812, 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 in this sense by English physician and philosopher David Hartley (1705-1757). In reference 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.
From EtymOnline: comb. element meaning "self, one's own, by oneself," from Gk. auto- "self, one's own," combining form of autos "self, same," of unknown origin. Before a vowel, aut-; before an aspirate, auth-. In Greek also used as a prefix to proper names, e.g. automelinna "Melinna herself." The opposite prefix would be allo-.
Which leads me to wonder as to the meaning of -matic.
From EtymOnline: automatic (adj.) "self-acting, moving or acting on its own," 1812, 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 in this sense by English physician and philosopher David Hartley (1705-1757). In reference 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.