autoregulation
|au-to-re-gu-la-tion|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔːtoʊˌrɛɡjəˈleɪʃən/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔːtəʊˌrɛɡjʊˈleɪʃən/
self-control or self-adjustment of a system
Etymology
'autoregulation' originates from English, formed by combining the prefix 'auto-' (from Greek 'autos' meaning 'self') with 'regulation' (from Latin 'regula'/'regulare' meaning 'rule' or 'to make straight').
'regulation' came into English via Latin 'regulatio' and Old French forms (e.g. 'regulation'), ultimately from Latin 'regula' ('rule'); the prefix 'auto-' comes from Greek 'autos' ('self') and entered English as a combining form. The compound 'autoregulation' developed in modern scientific English (primarily 19th–20th century) by joining these elements.
Originally 'regulation' referred to a rule or the act of keeping to a rule; over time it came to mean the act of controlling or adjusting a system. 'Autoregulation' specifically evolved to mean 'self-directed control or adjustment' in scientific contexts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the process by which an organism, organ, or physiological system maintains stable internal conditions by adjusting its own functions (a form of self-regulation/homeostasis).
Cerebral autoregulation keeps brain blood flow relatively constant despite fluctuations in systemic blood pressure.
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Noun 2
in engineering and control theory, automatic adjustment of a device or system's parameters by internal mechanisms rather than by external control.
The power supply uses autoregulation to maintain a steady output voltage under varying loads.
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Noun 3
in molecular biology, a regulatory mechanism in which a gene product (such as a protein) regulates the expression of its own gene.
Many transcription factors show autoregulation, binding to their own promoter to increase or decrease expression.
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Last updated: 2025/11/28 08:48