autoformation
|au-to-for-ma-tion|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔːtoʊfɔrˈmeɪʃən/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔːtəfɔːˈmeɪʃən/
self-formation
Etymology
'autoformation' comes from the combining form 'auto-' (from Greek 'autos' meaning 'self') plus English 'formation' (from Latin 'formatio', 'forming').
'formation' entered English from Old French 'formation' and Latin 'formatio'; the prefix 'auto-' was borrowed from Greek 'autos' and combined in modern English to form the compound 'autoformation'.
Originally the elements meant 'self' and 'the act of forming'; over time the compound came to be used in specialized contexts to mean 'formation arising from internal or spontaneous processes' rather than just the literal 'self' + 'forming'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the process or result of forming by itself; formation arising from internal or spontaneous processes rather than from external influence.
The theorist described cultural autoformation as communities reorganizing their institutions from within.
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Noun 2
(technical) In certain scientific contexts, the spontaneous development of structure or pattern—e.g., in biology, geology, or materials science—without directed outside design.
Researchers observed autoformation of mineral layers in the cave under stable chemical conditions.
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Last updated: 2025/11/25 11:58