Dictionary
au•ton•o•mous
Pronunciation: (ô-ton'u-mus), [key]—
adj.
1. Govt.
a. self-governing; independent; subject to its own laws only.
b. pertaining to an autonomy.
2. having autonomy; not subject to control from outside; independent:
a subsidiary that functioned as an autonomous unit.
3. Biol.
a. existing and functioning as an independent organism.
b. spontaneous.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.