An archaic or rare variant form of 'autonomic,' meaning self-governing or relating to independent systems.
From Greek autos (self) + nomos (law) + -ical (suffix forming adjectives). A longer, older adjectival form primarily seen in philosophical and early scientific texts before 'autonomic' became standardized.
Language evolves toward efficiency—'autonomic' won out over 'autonomical' because it's shorter and easier to say. But you can spot 'autonomical' in old textbooks, a linguistic fossil showing how medical vocabulary stabilized over time.
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