autokinetic
English
Etymology
auto- + kinetic
Adjective
autokinetic (not comparable)
- Moving by itself or automatically.
- (historical) Of a fire-alarm telegraphy system, arranged so that when one alarm is being transmitted, no other alarm, sent in from another point, will be transmitted until after the first alarm has been disposed of.
Usage notes
- Used mostly to describe the illusion that a fixed object appears to move when stared at.