Autonomy

Word of the day

noun

(of a country or region) the right or condition of self-government, esp. in a particular sphere:
• a self-governing country or region.
• freedom from external control or influence; independence:
• (in Kantian moral philosophy) the capacity of an agent to act in accordance with objective morality rather than under the influence of desires.

Oxford American Dictionary


1. the right or state of self-government, esp when limited
2. a state, community, or individual possessing autonomy
3. freedom to determine one's own actions, behaviour, etc
4. philosophy
a. See also categorical imperative
the doctrine that the individual human will is or ought to be governed only by its own principles and laws
b. the state in which one's actions are autonomous


Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition

1620s, from Gk. autonomia "independence," noun of quality from autonomos "independent, living by one's own laws," from auto- "self" (comb. form) + nomos "custom, law"