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.