1. past tense of autotomize; cast off or shed a body part (such as a tail or limb) as a defense mechanism or in response to injury
Usage: biology; typically used of animals such as lizards, starfish, and crustaceans

Examples

• The lizard autotomized its tail when the predator grabbed it.
• When threatened, the gecko autotomized a portion of its tail to escape.
• The starfish autotomized one of its arms to free itself from the trap.
• Many crustaceans have autotomized limbs as part of their survival strategy.
• The salamander autotomized its tail, which continued to twitch and distract the attacker.