The automatic or self-induced slowing down of a process or reaction.
From 'auto-' (self), 're-' (again), and 'retardation' (from Latin 'retardare' meaning to slow down). Term used in chemistry, psychology, and engineering.
Some chemical reactions have built-in autoretardation—their own products slow them down, preventing runaway reactions. Nature invented feedback inhibition millions of years before humans understood it.
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