auto-

• aut- (used before a vowel)

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɔː.tə-/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɔ.tə-/, [ˈɔ.ɾə-], /ˈɔ.toʊ-/, [ˈɔ.ɾoʊ-]
  • (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɑ.tə-/, [ˈɑ.ɾə-], /ˈɑ.toʊ-/, [ˈɑ.ɾoʊ-]
• Hyphenation: au‧to-

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-, “self-”).

auto-

2. Reflexive, regarding or to oneself.

   ‎auto- + ‎biography → ‎autobiography

   ‎auto- + ‎erotic → ‎autoerotic

• self-, ipsi-

• allo-, hetero- (different)
• syn- (concomitant)
• inter- (reciprocal)
• co-, con-/com-/col-/cor-, syn-/sym-/syl-, inter- (mutual)

• autoclave
• automaton
• autosome

Clipping of automatic.

auto-

2. Automatic.

   ‎auto- + ‎focus → ‎autofocus

   ‎auto- + ‎loader → ‎autoloader

   ‎auto- + ‎walk → ‎autowalk

Clipping of automobile (“self-propelled”),^[1] itself equivalent to auto- (“self”) + mobile. In later formations influenced by auto (“automobile”).^[1]

auto-

2. Self-propelled.

   ‎auto- + ‎cab → ‎autocab

   ‎auto- + ‎car → ‎autocar

4. Relating to cars or the driving of cars.

   ‎auto- + ‎cross → ‎autocross

   ‎auto- + ‎-phile → ‎autophile

• aout, outa

Borrowed from Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-).

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈa]

auto-

1. auto- (regarding oneself)
2. auto- (relating to cars)

• “auto-”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “auto-”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “auto-” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “auto-” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

• IPA^(key): [au̯to ]

auto-

1. auto- (regarding oneself)

   Synonym: sebe-

   ‎auto- + ‎cenzura → ‎autocenzura

• “auto-”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• auto- I in Slovník afixů užívaných v češtině, 2017
• auto- II in Slovník afixů užívaných v češtině, 2017

From Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-).

auto-

1. self

   autobiografi, autofiktion

2. automatic

   autozoom, autopilot

3. cars

   autoskade, autoværksted

• “auto-” in Den Danske Ordbog

Internationalism (see English auto-), ultimately from Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-).

auto-

1. auto- (forms words pertaining to the self)
2. auto- (forms words pertaining to the automation)

• Unlike in English, words relating to cars starting with auto- (e.g. autoweg) are not seen to be formed by prefixation but by regular compounding with the noun auto.

Internationalism (see English auto-), ultimately from Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-).

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑu̯to-/, [ˈɑ̝u̯t̪o̞-]

auto-

1. (in loanwords) auto-, self- (regarding oneself)

   Synonyms: oma-, itse-

   autobiografia ― autobiography

   autonomia ― autonomy

2. (in loanwords) auto- (automatic)

   Synonyms: automaatti-, automaattinen

   autopilotti ― autopilot

• In Finnish, the prefix auto- is chiefly used with loanwords, see the examples above.

• “auto-”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023

• auot, outa

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-), from αὐτός (autós, “self”).

• IPA^(key): /o.tɔ/, /ɔ.tɔ/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

auto-

1. auto- (regarding oneself)
2. auto- (automatic)
3. auto- (relating to cars)

• Auto- is sometimes added to reflexive verbs in order to stress the reflexiveness of the action. When this is done, the reflexive pronoun is always used as well:

Je m'auto-sabote. ― I sabotage myself. (literally, “I self-sabotage myself.”)

From Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-).

auto-

1. auto-, self-

From

.

• “auto-”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

auto-

1. auto-

From Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”).^[1]

• IPA^(key): [ˈɒuto], [ˈɒu̯to]^[2]

auto-

1. auto- (regarding oneself)
2. auto- (automatic)

From Dutch auto-, from Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”).

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /au̯to/ [au̯.t̪o]
• Syllabification: au‧to-

auto-

1. auto-: regarding oneself

• “auto-”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

From Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”).

auto-

1. (highly productive) auto-, self- (regarding oneself; by oneself)
2. (highly productive) auto-, self- (automatic)
3. (mathematics) eigen-
4. (rare) homo- (same)

• auto-¹ in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

From auto, automobile, ultimately from Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”).

auto-

1. auto- (relating to cars)

• auto-² in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

From Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”).

auto-

1. auto-

• “auto-” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

From Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”).

auto-

1. auto-

• “auto-” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Derived from Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-).

• IPA^(key): /aw.tɔ/

• Audio 1:

  (file)

• Audio 2:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -awtɔ
• Syllabification: au‧to-
• Homophone: auto

auto-

1. auto-, as relating to oneself

   Synonym: samo-

   ‎auto- + ‎biografia → ‎autobiografia

2. auto-, automatic

   Synonym: samo-

   ‎auto- + ‎pilot → ‎autopilot

3. auto-, as relating to cars

   Synonym: samo-

   ‎auto- + ‎alarm → ‎autoalarm

• auto- in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Borrowed from Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”).

auto-

1. self-; auto- (done by or directed at oneself)

   ‎auto- + ‎ódio (“hatred”) → ‎auto-ódio (“self-hatred”)

2. auto- (automatic)

   ‎auto- + ‎foco (“foco”) → ‎autofoco (“autofocus”)

3. auto- (relating to automobiles)

   ‎auto- + ‎carro (“car”) → ‎autocarro (“bus”)

4. (Brazil, linear algebra) eigen- (relating to eigenvectors and eigenvalues)

• “auto-”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “auto-”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Borrowed from Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-).

• IPA^(key): /auto/ [au̯.t̪o]
• Syllabification: au‧to-

auto-

1. auto-, self-
2. drive-in

• “auto-”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025