auto

See also: Appendix:Variations of "auto"

Languages (28)

English

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Basque • Catalan • Chavacano • Cimbrian • Czech • Dutch • Estonian • Finnish • French • Inari Sami • Interlingua • Italian • Japanese • Kari'na • Latin • Latvian • Nauruan • Neapolitan • Polish • Portuguese • Romagnol • Serbo-Croatian • Silesian • Slovak • Spanish • Vilamovian • West Frisian

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Page categories

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɔːtəʊ/, [ˈɔː.tʰəʊ̯]

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American)
  • (without t-flapping)
    • (without the cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɔ.toʊ̯/, [ˈɔ.tʰoʊ̯]
    • (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɑ.toʊ̯/, [ˈɑ.tʰoʊ̯] ~ /ˈɒ.toʊ̯/, [ˈɒ.tʰoʊ̯]
  • (t-flapping)
    • (without the cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɔ.ɾoʊ̯/, [ˈɔ.ɾoʊ̯]
    • (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɑ.ɾoʊ̯/, [ˈɑ.ɾoʊ̯] ~ /ˈɒ.ɾoʊ̯/, [ˈɒ.ɾoʊ̯]

      • Audio (Southern California):

        (file)

• (Australia, New Zealand)
  • (without t-flapping) IPA^(key): /ˈoːtəʉ/, [ˈoː.tʰəʉ]; /ˈoːtɐ̝ʉ/, [ˈoː.tʰɐ̝ʉ]
  • (t-flapping) IPA^(key): /ˈoːɾəʉ/, [ˈoː.ɾəʉ]; /ˈoːɾɐ̝ʉ/, [ˈoː.ɾɐ̝ʉ]
• Rhymes: -ɔːtəʊ
• Hyphenation: au‧to
• Homophones: Otto, otto (cot–caught merger)

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew

Proto-Indo-European *tó-

Proto-Hellenic *autós

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewder.

Ancient Greek αὖ (aû)

Ancient Greek τόν (tón)

Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós)

Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-)

Proto-Indo-European *men-

Proto-Indo-European *-tós

Proto-Indo-European *mn̥tós

Proto-Hellenic *mətós

Ancient Greek αὐτόμᾰτος (autómătos)

Ancient Greek αὐτόμᾰτον (autómăton)der.

Classical Latin automatum

New Latin automaticusbor.

English automaticclip.

English auto

Clipping of automatic.

Adjective

auto (not comparable)

1. (automotive) Clipping of automatic (of a gearbox/transmission).

   It's an auto sedan which we picked up from a wholesaler locally.

   • 2023 December 1, Evelynn Kersting, “GAMES AND TIME”, in University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee‎^[1], archived from the original on 7 June 2025, page 250‎^[2], archived from the original on 6 June 2025:

     For the first eight years of the Tetris Championship Series, the eventual victor used a technique known as delayed auto shift, or "DAS."

Noun

auto (countable and uncountable, plural autos)

1. (uncountable) A setting for automatic operation.

   Synonym: automatic

   Antonym: manual

   Put it on auto.

2. (automotive) An automatic gearbox/transmission.

   A body-coloured centre pillar signalled the arrival of an electronic four-speed auto, slight suspension revisions and minor trim changes.

3. (automotive) A car with an automatic gearbox/transmission.

   It wasn't too bad but we did hire an auto (couldn't imagine changing gears with my right hand).

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew

Proto-Indo-European *tó-

Proto-Hellenic *autós

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewder.

Ancient Greek αὖ (aû)

Ancient Greek τόν (tón)

Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós)

Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-)lbor.

French auto-

Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *-yeti

Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti

Proto-Indo-European *m(y)owh₁éyeti

Proto-Italic *moweō

Latin moveō

Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom

Proto-Italic *-ðlom

Proto-Italic *-ðlis

Latin -bilis

Latin mōbilislbor.

French mobile

French automobilebor.

English automobileclip.

English auto

Clipping of automobile.

Noun

auto (countable and uncountable, plural autos)

2. (now chiefly attributive) Clipping of automobile.

   My brother is an auto mechanic. He can get me a discount on auto parts.

   In 1909, his grandfather was the first farmer in the county to buy an auto.

   • 2024 December 17, Chris Isidore, “The retreat from the world’s largest auto market has begun”, in CNN‎^[3], Atlanta, Ga.: Warner Bros. Discovery, archived from the original on 14 January 2025:

     “There were golden years for GM in China, but those are over, and they’ll never have a comeback story,” said Michael Dunne, an auto industry consultant who has been involved in Western automakers’ efforts in China since the 1990s, including GM’s entry into the market.

   • 2025 March 5, John Towfighi, “US stocks rally on Trump’s tariff exemption for autos”, in CNN‎^[4], Atlanta, Ga.: Warner Bros. Discovery, archived from the original on 1 April 2025:

     “We spoke with the Big Three auto dealers. We are going to give a one-month exemption on any autos coming through USMCA,” President Donald Trump said in a statement read by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at a press briefing Wednesday. Those dealers included Stellantis, Ford and General Motors.

Synonyms

• (attributively): automobile, car, motorcar; motor

Derived terms

• autobesity
• auto body
• autocade
• autocamp
• autocentrism
• autocide
• autocoach
• auto court
• autocrash
• autocrime
• autoette
• autogas
• auto insurance
• autoist
• autoless
• auto loan
• automaker
• automaking
• automan
• automania
• automaniac
• auto mechanic
• auto park
• auto part
• autophobia
• autopia
• auto poker
• auto polo
• auto racing
• autorack
• auto rickshaw
• auto safety seat
• auto sear
• auto shop
• auto show
• autospeak
• autotransporter
• auto transport truck
• autoworker
• full auto, full-auto
• grand theft auto
• nonauto

Verb

auto (third-person singular simple present autos, present participle autoing, simple past and past participle autoed)

1. (intransitive, dated) To travel by automobile.
   • 1907, Automotive Industries, volume 16, page 711:

     The food was excellent and well served, and it recalled the Norman cities he had autoed to.

   • 1924, The Smith Alumnae Quarterly, volumes 16-17, page 318:

     Christmas Day we decided to spend in snow, in order to feel more at home, and so we autoed up 5000 ft. to Peira Cava and reveled in the winter sports, autoing back to the roses and “summer time” at nightfall.

Etymology 3

Clipping of autorickshaw.

Noun

auto (plural autos)

1. (India) An autorickshaw.

   Users are often unable to note down the number of the taxi or the auto as the driver will just zoom past.

See also

• tuk-tuk

Etymology 4

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-

Proto-Indo-European *-eti

Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti

Proto-Italic *agō

Latin agō

Proto-Indo-European *-tus

Proto-Italic *-tus

Latin -tus

Latin āctusslbor.

Old Spanish auto

Spanish autobor.

English auto

Borrowed from Spanish auto.

Noun

auto (plural autos)

1. A genre of dramatic literature.

Anagrams

• aout, outa

Basque

Etymology

Clipping of automobil.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /au̯to/ [au̯.t̪o]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -au̯to, -o
• Hyphenation: au‧to

Noun

auto inan

1. automobile, car

   Synonyms: kotxe, beribil

   Xabier auto berria erosi du. ― Xabier has bought a new car.

Declension

Declension of auto (inan V-stem)

	indefinite	singular	plural	proximal plural
absolutive	auto	autoa	autoak	autook
ergative	autok	autoak	autoek	autook
dative	autori	autoari	autoei	autooi
genitive	autoren	autoaren	autoen	autoon
comitative	autorekin	autoarekin	autoekin	autookin
causative	autorengatik	autoarengatik	autoengatik	autoongatik
benefactive	autorentzat	autoarentzat	autoentzat	autoontzat
instrumental	autoz	autoaz	autoez	autootaz
inessive	autotan	autoan	autoetan	autootan
locative	autotako	autoko	autoetako	autootako
allative	autotara	autora	autoetara	autootara
terminative	autotaraino	autoraino	autoetaraino	autootaraino
directive	autotarantz	autorantz	autoetarantz	autootarantz
destinative	autotarako	autorako	autoetarako	autootarako
ablative	autotatik	autotik	autoetatik	autootatik
partitive	autorik	—	—	—
prolative	autotzat	—	—	—

Derived terms

• auto-ilara (“traffic jam”)
• autobide (“freeway”)
• autoeskola
• autogile (“car manufacturer”)
• autogintza (“car manufacturing”)
• autozain
• autozale

Related terms

• auto-stop
• autobia (“freeway”)

Further reading

• “auto”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language]
• “auto”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005

Catalan

Etymology

Clipping of automòbil.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Central) [ˈaw.tu]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈaw.to]

Noun

auto m (plural autos)

1. car; automobile

Further reading

• “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.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “auto”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Chavacano

Etymology

Inherited from Spanish auto (“car”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʔawto/ [ˈʔaw.to]
• Rhymes: -auto, -to
• Hyphenation: au‧to

Noun

áuto

1. (Zamboangueño) car; automobile

   Synonym: (Zamboanga) coche

Cimbrian

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian auto, a clipping of automobile.

Noun

auto m

1. (Luserna) car, automobile

References

• Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien

Czech

Etymology

Clipping of automobil.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈau̯to]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: au‧to

Noun

auto n (diminutive autíčko)

1. car, automobile

Declension

Declension of auto (hard neuter)

	singular	plural
nominative	auto	auta
genitive	auta	aut
dative	autu	autům
accusative	auto	auta
vocative	auto	auta
locative	autu, autě	autech
instrumental	autem	auty

Further reading

• “auto”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “auto”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “auto”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2026

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French auto, from automobile. By surface analysis, clipping of automobiel.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑu̯.toː/, /ˈoː.toː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: au‧to

Noun

auto m (plural auto's, diminutive autootje n)

1. car, automobile

   Synonyms: automobiel, bak, kar, wagen, waggie

   Hyponym: oldtimer

Derived terms

• auto-ongeluk
• autobaan
• autoband
• autobestuurder
• autobioscoop
• autocoureur
• autogordel
• autohandelaar
• autokerkhof
• autolader
• autolobby
• autoloos
• autoluw
• automonteur
• autopech
• autoprobleem
• autoradio
• autoriem
• autosnelweg
• autospiegel
• autostoel
• autostuur
• autoverzekering
• autowasstraat
• autoweg
• botsauto
• brandweerauto
• droomauto
• elektrische auto
• lesauto
• politieauto
• speelgoedauto
• sportauto
• stekkerauto
• tankauto
• terreinauto
• vluchtauto
• vrachtauto
• ziekenauto

Descendants

• → Aukan: oto
• → Caribbean Hindustani: oto
• → Caribbean Javanese: oto
• → Indonesian: oto
• → Lokono: ôto
• → Papiamentu: outo
• → Sranan Tongo: oto
  • → Saramaccan: otó
  • → Trió: oto
• → West Frisian: auto

Estonian

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑu̯to/, [ˈɑu̯tˑo]

Noun

auto (genitive auto, partitive autot)

1. car, automobile
2. (at second or later mention) any motor vehicle, including trucks, vans, and fire engines.

Declension

Declension of auto (ÕS type 16/pere, no gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		auto	autod
accusative	nom.
	gen.	auto
genitive			autode
partitive		autot	autosid
illative		autosse	autodesse
inessive		autos	autodes
elative		autost	autodest
allative		autole	autodele
adessive		autol	autodel
ablative		autolt	autodelt
translative		autoks	autodeks
terminative		autoni	autodeni
essive		autona	autodena
abessive		autota	autodeta
comitative		autoga	autodega

Finnish

Etymology

Clipping of automobiili; see it for more. Attested since at least 1913, and became established in the 1920s. Compare German Auto, Estonian auto.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑu̯to/, [ˈɑ̝u̯t̪o̞]
• Rhymes: -ɑuto
• Syllabification^(key): au‧to
• Hyphenation^(key): au‧to

Noun

auto

1. car, automobile (motor vehicle designed to carry (a few) passengers)

   Synonym: henkilöauto (somewhat formal)

   Kuljen töihin yleensä autolla.

   I usually go to work by car.

2. (loosely, especially in compounds) motor vehicle, car, automobile (powered motor vehicle with at least three tyres, usually at least four)

   pakettiauto ― van

   linja-auto ― bus, motorbus

   kuorma-auto ― truck, lorry

   paloauto ― fire truck, fire engine

Declension

Inflection of auto (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)
nominative		auto	autot
genitive		auton	autojen
partitive		autoa	autoja
illative		autoon	autoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		auto	autot
accusative	nom.	auto	autot
	gen.	auton
genitive		auton	autojen
partitive		autoa	autoja
inessive		autossa	autoissa
elative		autosta	autoista
illative		autoon	autoihin
adessive		autolla	autoilla
ablative		autolta	autoilta
allative		autolle	autoille
essive		autona	autoina
translative		autoksi	autoiksi
abessive		autotta	autoitta
instructive		—	autoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of auto (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative autoni autoni accusative nom. autoni autoni gen. autoni genitive autoni autojeni partitive autoani autojani inessive autossani autoissani elative autostani autoistani illative autooni autoihini adessive autollani autoillani ablative autoltani autoiltani allative autolleni autoilleni essive autonani autoinani translative autokseni autoikseni abessive autottani autoittani instructive — — comitative — autoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative autosi autosi accusative nom. autosi autosi gen. autosi genitive autosi autojesi partitive autoasi autojasi inessive autossasi autoissasi elative autostasi autoistasi illative autoosi autoihisi adessive autollasi autoillasi ablative autoltasi autoiltasi allative autollesi autoillesi essive autonasi autoinasi translative autoksesi autoiksesi abessive autottasi autoittasi instructive — — comitative — autoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative automme automme accusative nom. automme automme gen. automme genitive automme autojemme partitive autoamme autojamme inessive autossamme autoissamme elative autostamme autoistamme illative autoomme autoihimme adessive autollamme autoillamme ablative autoltamme autoiltamme allative autollemme autoillemme essive autonamme autoinamme translative autoksemme autoiksemme abessive autottamme autoittamme instructive — — comitative — autoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative autonne autonne accusative nom. autonne autonne gen. autonne genitive autonne autojenne partitive autoanne autojanne inessive autossanne autoissanne elative autostanne autoistanne illative autoonne autoihinne adessive autollanne autoillanne ablative autoltanne autoiltanne allative autollenne autoillenne essive autonanne autoinanne translative autoksenne autoiksenne abessive autottanne autoittanne instructive — — comitative — autoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative autonsa autonsa accusative nom. autonsa autonsa gen. autonsa genitive autonsa autojensa partitive autoaan autoansa autojaan autojansa inessive autossaan autossansa autoissaan autoissansa elative autostaan autostansa autoistaan autoistansa illative autoonsa autoihinsa adessive autollaan autollansa autoillaan autoillansa ablative autoltaan autoltansa autoiltaan autoiltansa allative autolleen autollensa autoilleen autoillensa essive autonaan autonansa autoinaan autoinansa translative autokseen autoksensa autoikseen autoiksensa abessive autottaan autottansa autoittaan autoittansa instructive — — comitative — autoineen autoinensa

Synonyms

• (all colloquial) kiesi, kosla, pirssi, kauppakassi, kaara, peltilehmä, ritsa, kottero, kumijalka, kärry, biili
• (archaic, now humorous) hyrysysy

Derived terms

• autoilla
• autoistaa
• autoistua
• autoton

compounds

• ambulanssiauto
• amfibioauto
• asuntoauto
• aura-auto
• aurinkoauto
• autoajelu
• autoala
• autoasema
• autoasentaja
• autoetu
• autogangsteri
• autohajottamo
• autohalli
• autoharja
• autohuoltamo
• autohurjastelija
• autohurjastelu
• autohälytin
• autoisku
• autojenkuljetusvaunu
• autojono
• autojuna
• autokaista
• autokamera
• autokansi
• autokanta
• autokatos
• autokatsastus
• autokauppa
• autokauppias
• autoklinikka
• autokolari
• autokorjaamo
• autokoulu
• autokuljetus
• autokulkue
• autokunta
• autokuorma
• autokuski
• autokyyti
• autolasi
• autolautta
• autoletka
• autoliike
• autoliikenne
• autolähtö
• automaalaamo
• automaalari
• automalli
• automarketti
• automatka
• automatkailu
• automekaanikko
• automerkki
• automurto
• automyyjä
• autonajaja
• autonajo
• autonalusta
• autonasentaja
• autonavain
• autonhuolto
• autonkatsastaja
• autonkatsastamo
• autonkatsastus
• autonkori
• autonkuljettaja
• autonkuljetusauto
• autonkuljetusvaunu
• autonmyyjä
• autonomistaja
• autonosa
• autonpyörä
• autonrengas
• autonromu
• autonrotisko
• autonrämä
• autonvalmistaja
• autonäyttely
• auto-onnettomuus
• autopaikka
• autopankki
• autopeltiseppä
• autopesula
• autopikajuna
• autopommi
• autopuhelin
• autopukki
• autopurkaamo
• autopurkamo
• autoradio
• autoradiopuhelin
• autorahtikirja
• autorata
• autoravintola
• autoretki
• autosaattue
• autosampoo
• autoshampoo
• autosotamies
• autosuunnistus
• autotalli
• autotehdas
• autotekniikka
• autoteline
• autoteollisuus
• autotermiitti
• autotie
• autoturma
• autourheilija
• autourheilu
• autovaha
• autovaja
• autovakuutus
• autovaras
• autovarikko
• autovarkaus
• autovero
• autovuokraamo
• avoauto
• avolava-auto
• betonipumppuauto
• dieselauto
• edustusauto
• erikoisauto
• farmariauto
• formula-auto
• golfauto
• henkilöauto
• hinausauto
• huoltoauto
• hybridiauto
• hylkyauto
• höyryauto
• imuauto
• itäauto
• jakeluauto
• johdinauto
• jäteauto
• jätteenkuljetusauto
• jäätelöauto
• kaappiauto
• kaasuauto
• kadunlakaisuauto
• kaiutinauto
• kakkosauto
• karja-auto
• karjankuljetusauto
• kasteluauto
• katalysaattoriauto
• katalyyttiauto
• kauppa-auto
• kaupunkiauto
• kevytauto
• kiihdytysauto
• kilpa-auto
• kippiauto
• kirjastoauto
• kiskoauto
• kiviauto
• kolariauto
• kotipalveluauto
• kouluauto
• koululaisauto
• kuljetusauto
• kuorma-auto
• kuuauto
• kylmäkuljetusauto
• kääpiöauto
• lava-auto
• lavettiauto
• leasingauto
• leikkiauto
• lentoauto
• linja-auto
• loistoauto
• loka-auto
• luksusauto
• lumiaura-auto
• länsiauto
• lääkintäauto
• maansiirtoauto
• maastoauto
• maitoauto
• matkailuauto
• mikroauto
• mittariauto
• monikäyttöauto
• monsteriauto
• mopoauto
• museoauto
• muuttoauto
• myymäläauto
• mäkiauto
• nelivetoauto
• neppiauto
• neppisauto
• nolla-auto
• nostolava-auto
• nosturiauto
• ongelmajäteauto
• onnettomuusauto
• pakettiauto
• paloauto
• pankkiauto
• panssariauto
• partioauto
• pelastusauto
• peltoauto
• perheauto
• piipaa-auto
• piiska-auto
• pikkuauto
• pirssiauto
• poliisiauto
• polkuauto
• polttokennoauto
• polttomoottoriauto
• postiauto
• postipalveluauto
• ralliauto
• rata-auto
• rekka-auto
• rinneauto
• robottiauto
• romuauto
• roska-auto
• ruoka-auto
• ruumisauto
• safariauto
• sairaankuljetusauto
• sairasauto
• seka-auto
• siviiliauto
• superauto
• sähköauto
• säiliöauto
• taksiauto
• tankkiauto
• teurasauto
• tiepalveluauto
• tikasauto
• tila-auto
• turma-auto
• turva-auto
• työsuhdeauto
• täyssähköauto
• törmäilyauto
• ulkolähetysauto
• ulkotuotantoauto
• umpiauto
• urheiluauto
• vaihtoauto
• vakioauto
• vetoauto
• vetyauto
• vuokra-auto
• yhdistelmäauto
• yhteisauto
• yhteiskäyttöauto
• yksityisauto
• yritysauto
• ääniauto
• öljyauto

Further reading

• “auto”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[5] (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

Anagrams

• auot, outa

French

Etymology

Clipping of automobile.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /o.to/, /ɔ.to/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

Noun

auto f (plural autos)

1. car

   Synonyms: automobile, voiture

Descendants

• ⇒ Guianese Creole: loto
• ⇒ Mauritian Creole: loto
• ⇒ Réunion Creole French: loto
• → Armenian: օթո (ōtʻo)
• → Moroccan Arabic: لوطو (lūṭu)
• → Turkish: oto
• → Vietnamese: ô tô

Anagrams

• août

Inari Sami

Etymology

Borrowed from Finnish auto.

Noun

auto

1. car

Inflection

Even inflection in -o
	singular	plural
Nominative	auto	autoh
Accusative	auto	autoid
Genitive	auto	autoi
Illative	auton	autoid
Locative	autost	autoin
Comitative	autoin	autoiguin
Abessive	autottáá	autoittáá
Essive	auton	—
Partitive	autod	—

Alternative forms

• avdo

Interlingua

Etymology

Shortened form of automobile, from Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”).

Noun

auto (plural autos)

1. car, automobile

   Synonym: automobile

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.u.to/
• Rhymes: -auto
• Hyphenation: à‧u‧to

Etymology 1

Clipping of automobile.

Noun

auto f (invariable)

1. clipping of automobile: car

   Synonyms: automobile, macchina, vettura

Derived terms

• auto d'epoca
• auto-

Descendants

• → Cimbrian: auto

Etymology 2

Clipping of autobus.

Noun

auto m (plural auti)

1. (regional) clipping of autobus: bus

   Synonym: autobus

Etymology 3

From Spanish and Portuguese auto (literally “act”).

Noun

auto m (invariable)

1. (historical, uncountable) auto (genre of dramatic literature)
2. (historical) an auto literary work

Related terms

• autodafé

Further reading

• “auto¹”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026
• “auto²”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026

Japanese

Romanization

auto

1. Rōmaji transcription of アウト

Kari'na

Alternative forms

• atto (Venezuela)

Etymology

From Proto-Cariban *ôwtô; compare Wayana ëutë, Waiwai ïwtï, Akawaio öutö, Macushi ewîtî, Pemon autö, Ye'kwana öttö.

Pronunciation

• (Venezuela, West Suriname) IPA^(key): [awto]
• (East Suriname) IPA^(key): [awhto]

Noun

auto (possessed auty)

1. house, hut
2. home, dwelling in general

References

• Courtz, Hendrik (2008), A Carib grammar and dictionary‎^[6], Toronto: Magoria Books, →ISBN, page 248
• Ahlbrinck, Willem (1931), “auto”, in Encyclopaedie der Karaïben, Amsterdam: Koninklijke Akademie van Wetenschappen, page 117; republished as Willem Ahlbrinck, Doude van Herwijnen, transl., L'Encyclopédie des Caraïbes‎^[7], Paris, 1956, page 117

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈau̯.toː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈaːu̯.to]

Adjective

autō

1. dative/ablative masculine/neuter singular of autus

Latvian

Etymology 1

Shortened form of automašīna.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

auto m (invariable)

1. (colloquial) car (automobile, a vehicle steered by a driver)

   Synonyms: automašīna, mašīna

Etymology 2

See aut.

Participle

auto

1. inflection of autais:
   1. vocative/accusative/instrumental singular masculine/feminine
   2. genitive plural masculine/feminine

Nauruan

Noun

auto

1. car

Neapolitan

Alternative forms

• avoto

Etymology

Inherited from Latin altus.

Adjective

auto (feminine singular auta, masculine plural aute, feminine plural aute)

1. tall
2. high (positionally)

Adverb

auto

1. high

References

• Giacco, Giuseppe (2003), “àuto-a”, in Schedario Napoletano

Polish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew

Proto-Indo-European *tó-

Proto-Hellenic *autós

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewder.

Ancient Greek αὖ (aû)

Ancient Greek τόν (tón)

Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós)

Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-)lbor.

French auto-

Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *-yeti

Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti

Proto-Indo-European *m(y)owh₁éyeti

Proto-Italic *moweō

Latin moveō

Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom

Proto-Italic *-ðlom

Proto-Italic *-ðlis

Latin -bilis

Latin mōbilislbor.

French mobile

French automobilebor.

German Automobil

German Autobor.

Polish auto

Borrowed from German Auto.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈaw.tɔ/

• (Lesser Poland):
  • (Goral):
    • (Zagórze) IPA^(key): [ˈaw.tɔ]

• Audio:

  (file)

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

Noun

auto n (diminutive autko)

1. (colloquial or Zagórze) car, automobile

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:samochód

Declension

Declension of auto

	singular	plural
nominative	auto	auta
genitive	auta	aut
dative	autu	autom
accusative	auto	auta
instrumental	autem	autami
locative	aucie	autach
vocative	auto	auta

Further reading

• “auto”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[8] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “auto”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[9] (in Polish)
• Józefa Kobylińska (2001), “auto”, in Marian Kucała, editor, Słownik gwary gorczańskiej (zagórzańskiej)‎^[10] (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Akademii Pedagogicznej, →ISBN, page 2

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈaw.tu/ [ˈaʊ̯.tu]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈaw.tu/

• Audio (Portugal (Porto)):

  (file)

• Homophone: alto (Brazil)
• Rhymes: -awtu

Etymology 1

Semi-learned borrowing from Latin āctus, perfect passive participle of agō (“to make, I do”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- (“to lead”). Doublet of ato.

Noun

auto m (plural autos)

1. a public deed or ceremony

   Synonyms: solenidade, cerimônia

2. auto (a sub-genre of dramatic literature)
3. (dated) act; deed

   Synonyms: feito, ato, ação

4. act (record of an accomplishment)
5. (law) exhibit (document used in court as evidence)
6. (law) incident report (verbal testimony of an event)

Derived terms

• (public deed): auto da fé

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew

Proto-Indo-European *tó-

Proto-Hellenic *autós

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewder.

Ancient Greek αὖ (aû)

Ancient Greek τόν (tón)

Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós)bor.

Portuguese auto-

Portuguese móvel

Portuguese automóvelclip.

Portuguese auto

Clipping of automóvel.

Noun

auto m (plural autos)

1. (Portugal, Rio Grande do Sul) automobile; car

   Synonyms: automóvel, carro, veículo

Related terms

• auto-
• auto-silo
• silo-auto

Further reading

• “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

Romagnol

Etymology

Clipping of automòbila.

Pronunciation

• (Central Romagnol) IPA^(key): [ˈaɐ̯uto]
  • (Ravenna) IPA^(key): [ˈaɐ̯uto]

Noun

auto f (invariable)

1. car

   Synonym: automòbila

Derived terms

• auto-

References

• Masotti, Adelmo (1996), Vocabolario Romagnolo Italiano [Romagnol-Italian dictionary] (in Italian), Bologna: Zanichelli, page 46

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Clipping of automòbīl.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ǎuto/
• Hyphenation: a‧u‧to

Noun

àuto m inan or n (Cyrillic spelling а̀уто)

1. car, automobile

   Synonym: kola

   Ne možeš da uzmeš auto jer nema benzina. ― You can’t take the car, because there isn’t any gas.

   • 1989, Vidosav Stevanović, Inicijali:

     Cigareta beše gorka kao pepeo. Sedeo sam u autu (ruke na volanu, glava na rukama) i osluškivao kišu – večan, jednoličan i uvek nov šum, dirljivo dosadan i meni neobično, tužno uzbudljiv; rominjala je šapućući kao starica koja plače na tuđem grobu.

     The cigarette was as bitter as ash. I sat in the car (hands on the steering wheel, head on my hands) and listened to the rain - eternal, monotonous and always new noise, touchingly boring and strangely, sadly exciting for me; she whispered like an old woman crying at someone else's grave.

Usage notes

• While the masculine form is preferred across all standards, the neuter gender is often found both in Serbian and Croatian dialects ("plavo auto" instead of "plavi auto"). In some regions (e.g. parts of Dalmatia), the word is almost always used in its neuter form. When the word is used with neuter gender, the declension changes accordingly.

Declension

Declension with masculine gender

	singular	plural
nominative	auto	auti
genitive	auta	auta
dative	autu	autima
accusative	auto	aute
vocative	auto	auti
locative	autu	autima
instrumental	autom	autima

Declension with neuter gender

	singular	plural
nominative	auto	auta
genitive	auta	auta
dative	autu	autima
accusative	auto	auta
vocative	auto	auta
locative	autu	autima
instrumental	autom	autima

References

• “auto”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026

Silesian

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew

Proto-Indo-European *tó-

Proto-Hellenic *autós

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewder.

Ancient Greek αὖ (aû)

Ancient Greek τόν (tón)

Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós)

Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-)lbor.

French auto-

Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *-yeti

Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti

Proto-Indo-European *m(y)owh₁éyeti

Proto-Italic *moweō

Latin moveō

Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom

Proto-Italic *-ðlom

Proto-Italic *-ðlis

Latin -bilis

Latin mōbilislbor.

French mobile

French automobilebor.

German Automobil

German Autobor.

Silesian auto

Borrowed from German Auto.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaw.tɔ/
• Rhymes: -awtɔ
• Syllabification: au‧to

Noun

auto n

1. car

   Synonym: kara

Slovak

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈau̯tɔ/

• Audio (Bratislava):

  (file)

Noun

auto n (relational adjective autový, diminutive autíčko)

1. car

Declension

Declension of auto
(pattern mesto)

	singular	plural
nominative	auto	autá
genitive	auta	áut
dative	autu	autám
accusative	auto	autá
locative	aute	autách
instrumental	autom	autami

Further reading

• “auto”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2026

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈauto/ [ˈau̯.t̪o]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -auto
• Syllabification: au‧to

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew

Proto-Indo-European *tó-

Proto-Hellenic *autós

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewder.

Ancient Greek αὖ (aû)

Ancient Greek τόν (tón)

Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós)

Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-)bor.

Spanish auto-

Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *-yeti

Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti

Proto-Indo-European *m(y)owh₁éyeti

Proto-Italic *moweō

Latin moveō

Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom

Proto-Italic *-ðlom

Proto-Italic *-ðlis

Latin -bilis

Latin mobilislbor.

Spanish móvil

Spanish automóvilclip.

Spanish auto

Clipping of automóvil, from Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”).

Noun

auto m (plural autos)

1. (Southern Cone, Andes Mountains, Mexico, Philippines) car, automobile

   Synonyms: automóvil, (Mexico, Central America, Caribbean America, Colombia, Venezuela) carro, (Philippines, Spain) coche

Derived terms

• autito
• auto bomba
• autocaravana
• autocine
• autoescuela
• autolote
• autoparte
• autopista
• autovía
• robaautos, robautos

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-

Proto-Indo-European *-eti

Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti

Proto-Italic *agō

Latin agō

Proto-Indo-European *-tus

Proto-Italic *-tus

Latin -tus

Latin āctusslbor.

Old Spanish auto

Spanish auto

Inherited from Old Spanish auto, a semi-learned borrowing from Latin āctus. Doublet of the later borrowing acto.

Noun

auto m (plural autos)

1. a public deed or ceremony
2. (law, formal) order, writ, resolution
3. (literature) short play from the Middle Ages or the Renaissance

Derived terms

• auto de fe

Further reading

• “auto”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), 24th edition, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 30 October 2026

Vilamovian

Etymology

Borrowed from Polish auto, from German Auto.

Noun

auto n

1. car, automobile

   Synonyms: aojt, aojto, oüta

West Frisian

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch auto, from French auto.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɔu̯toː/

Noun

auto c (plural auto's, diminutive autoke or autotsje)

1. A car, an automobile.

Further reading

• “auto”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011