A facility by which the settings of a camera are automatically adjusted so as to give a true representation of the colours of a subject regardless of whether the ambient light is natural or artificial; usually attributive, especially in "auto white balance".
Origin
1970s.
Definition of auto white in US English:
auto white
nounˌɔːtə(ʊ) ˈwʌɪt
A facility by which the settings of a camera are automatically adjusted so as to give a true representation of the colours of a subject regardless of whether the ambient light is natural or artificial; usually attributive, especially in "auto white balance".