ghost driver
- noun
- /ɡoʊst ˈdraɪvər/
- Specialized
:
conductor fantasma
- The ghost driver navigated the streets without any human intervention.
Examples
-
The new system allows for a ghost driver to take over in emergencies.
-
After the upgrade, the car could function as a ghost driver on the highway at night.
-
Sometimes it felt like a ghost driver was steering her life from behind the scenes.
-
A ghost driver can operate autonomously.
-
The new system allows a ghost driver to control the vehicle without any human input.
-
After the upgrade, the car could operate as a ghost driver on urban roads.
-
The advanced technology enables a ghost driver to navigate through traffic autonomously.
How Autonomous
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound meaning 'a driver who operates unseen or unnoticed' can be largely inferred from 'ghost' (hidden/unnoticed) + 'driver' (one who drives), so a learner who knows both words would likely guess an unseen or hidden driver. However, the extension to non-human autonomous systems or the precise technical sense is a metaphorical/specialized shift that is not fully predictable without exposure, so the expression is not fully transparent.
Etymology
Ghost driver comes from the image of an unseen ghost sitting at the wheel as the driver. So it is used for a car or system controlled by a person or machine 'without being seen'.