au·ton·o·mous
[aw-ton-uh-muh s]
–adjective
1.Government .
a.self-governing; independent; subject to its own laws only.
b.pertaining to an autonomy.
2.having autonomy; not subject to control from outside; independent: a subsidiary that functioned as an autonomous unit.
3.Biology .
a.existing and functioning as an independent organism.
b.spontaneous.