autotomy

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ɔːˈtɒtəmɪ/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(ô tot′ə mē)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
au•tot•o•my  (ô tot′ə mē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -mies. 
  1. Zoology
    • separation of a body part.
    • self-amputation of a damaged or trapped appendage.
  2. Zoology, Surgerythe performance of surgery upon oneself.
  • 1895–1900; auto-1 + -tomy
au•to•tom•ic  (ô′tə tom′ik),USA pronunciation au•tot′o•mous, adj. 
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
autotomy /ɔːˈtɒtəmɪ/ n ( pl -mies)
  1. the casting off by an animal of a part of its body, to facilitate escape when attacked
autotomic /ˌɔːtəˈtɒmɪk/, autotomous /ɔːˈtɒtəməs/ adj
'autotomy' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
autotomize

Forum discussions with the word(s) "autotomy" in the title:


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