Plural of automatic; automatic transmissions in vehicles or automatic devices in general.
Derived from 'automatic' (Greek 'autos' + Latin 'matus'), the plural noun form first became common in the 1930s-1940s when automatic transmissions were invented for cars, making it necessary to discuss multiple automatic systems.
Before automatics were invented, every car required drivers to manually shift gears while steering, which is why in Europe many people still prefer manual transmissions—they feel it gives them more control, a rebellion against the automation that America embraced.
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