animatron

noun

an·​i·​ma·​tron ˈa-nə-mə-ˌträn 

plural animatrons

: a puppet or similar figure that is animated by means of electromechanical devices : an animatronic figure

In Jurassic Park, the Steven Spielberg dinosaur action thriller, the full-sized animatron of the Tyrannosaurus Rex weighed almost 7000 kilograms.

—Daily Telegraph (Sydney, Australia), 5 Nov. 2002

Word History

Etymology

short for audio-animatron, back-formation from audio-animatronic

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined above

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