autoloaders
|au-to-load-ers|
🇺🇸
/ˈɔːtəˌloʊdər/
🇬🇧
/ˈɔːtəˌləʊdə/
(autoloader)
self-loading device
Etymology
'autoloader' originates from Modern English, specifically formed from the prefix 'auto-' and the noun 'loader', where 'auto-' came from Greek 'autos' meaning 'self' and 'load/loader' refers to 'to load' or 'one who/that which loads'.
'auto-' ultimately derives from Greek 'αὐτός' ('autos'), while 'load' comes from Old English roots (cf. Old English 'lād'/'lādian' meaning 'load' or 'to load'); the compound 'autoloader' was coined in the 20th century with the advent of automatic-loading weapons and machinery.
Initially formed to denote a device that 'loads itself' or 'loads automatically', the term has retained that core sense while extending metaphorically to software systems that 'automatically load' code.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a mechanical device on military weapons (such as tanks or automatic cannons) that automatically loads ammunition into the firing chamber.
Many modern tanks use autoloaders to reduce crew size and increase rate of fire.
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Noun 2
a mechanical system designed to automatically feed or load items (parts, media, cartridges, etc.) in industrial or consumer equipment.
Factory autoloaders cut downtime by automatically feeding components onto the assembly line.
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Noun 3
in computing, a software mechanism that automatically loads code modules, classes, or resources when they are first referenced (often called an autoloader).
Frameworks often provide autoloaders so developers don't have to require every class file manually.
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Last updated: 2025/11/26 15:16