English
Etymology
blend|automatic|magical
Adjective
en-adj-more
- automatic|Automatic, but with an apparent element of stage magic. Commonly used in computer and other technology fields, referring to complex technical processes hidden from the view of users or operators. Includes a connotation of specialness and often implies pride on the part of the process creator (especially when the person using the word is the process creator). Sometimes, also used in sarcastic way, ironically implying an impossible process.
#* 1987, Lawrence J. Peters, Advanced Structured Analysis and Design, Prentice-Hall, ISBN 0130131377, page 2
#*: Throughout this text we will emphasize the employment of a systems approach to the practice of analysis and design. In it we attempt to present this portion of the software lifecycle as a discipline rather than an "automagical" (automated magic) process.
#* 1993, Colin Harrison, Bodies Electric: A Novel, Crown Publishers, ISBN 0517584913, page 186
#*: "How're we paying you, actually?" I asked. <br/> "Certain automagical manipulations."
#* 1994, Daniel P. Dern, The Internet Guide for New Users, McGraw?-Hill, ISBN 0070165114, page 490
#*: It is hoped that, over time, new e-mail list management tools will become available for users which can "automagically" determine who and how to do these�
#* 1995, István Raskó and C. Stephen Downes, Genes in Medicine: Molecular Biology and Human Genetic Disorders, Springer, ISBN 0412373408, page 277
#*: In the more florid cases, where the diagnosis is unmistakeable, several anatomical studies (especially with automagical computerized devices, such as positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging) have shown clear through subtle differences in the brains of schizophrenic patients�
#* 2005, Ron Aitchison and Brian Wilson, Pro DNS and BIND, Apress, ISBN 1590594940, page 258
#*: The mathematical processes used in the cryptography are treated as automagical ("stuff happens") and are not described at all.
#* 2006, Stefan Axelsson and David Sands, Understanding Intrusion Detection Through Visualization, Springer, ISBN 0387276343, page 6
#*: These result [sic] indicate that the more complex the system, and the less the human feels aware of how the system is operating (i.e. to what degree it seems ’automagical’) the less effective the operator becomes in correctly identifying problematic situations and taking the necessary corrective action.
Derived terms
automagically
Translations
trans-top|Automatic, but with an apparent element of stage magic.
Finnish: t|fi|automaaginen
trans-mid
Swedish: t|sv|automagisk
trans-bottom
ru:automagical
|
