autopen

noun

au·​to·​pen ˈȯ-tō-ˌpen How to pronounce autopen (audio)
plural autopens
: a device that mechanically reproduces a person's signature
Today autograph collecting is a growing avocation, enlivened by a renewed interest in musical manuscripts and scores and a fad for the rather rare letters of show-business figures. It is complicated by the autopen, which allows public figures to sign dozens of documents at one time …Jeffrey Simpson, Architectural Digest, December 1988
The machines sign letters at about the same pace as does the human hand. An autopen machine that automatically signs a stack of documents can spit out roughly 500 signatures an hour; those with manual document feeders, about 200 an hour.Nancy Benac, Associated Press, 27 June 2011
Everyone knows senators don't sign the vast majority of their letters; an autopen does that.Larry Pressler, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2000

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of autopen was in 1940

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Dictionary Entries Near autopen

Cite this Entry

“Autopen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autopen. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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