First Known Use: 1922
Dictionary
robot
noun ro·bot \ˈrō-ˌbät, -bət\
: a real or imaginary machine that is controlled by a computer and is often made to look like a human or animal
: a machine that can do the work of a person and that works automatically or is controlled by a computer
Full Definition of ROBOT
1
a : a machine that looks like a human being and performs various complex acts (as walking or talking) of a human being; also : a similar but fictional machine whose lack of capacity for human emotions is often emphasized b : an efficient insensitive person who functions automatically
2
: a device that automatically performs complicated often repetitive tasks
3
: a mechanism guided by automatic controls
— ro·bot·ism \ˈrō-ˌbä-ˌti-zəm, -bə-\ noun
See robot defined for English-language learners
See robot defined for kids
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Origin of ROBOT
Czech, from robota compulsory labor; akin to Old High German arabeit trouble, Latin orbus orphaned — more at orphan
Other Mechanical Engineering Terms
Rhymes with ROBOT
àdroite, allot, a lot, ascot, a shot, Banat, bank shot, besot, big shot, black rot, black spot, blind spot, bloodshot, bowknot, boycott, brown rot, buckshot, bullshot, cachepot, calotte, cheap shot, chip shot, crackpot, Crock-Pot, culotte, dashpot, despot, dogtrot, dovecote, draw shot, dreadnought, drop shot, drylot, dry rot, dunk shot, ear rot, earshot, ergot, eyeshot, eyespot, feedlot, fiat, firepot, fleshpot, foot rot, foul shot, fox-trot, fusspot, fylfot, garrote, gavotte, grapeshot, G-spot, gunshot, half-knot, have-not, highspot, hotchpot, hot pot, hotshot, ikat, jackpot, job lot, jog trot, jump shot, Kalat, Korat, kumquat, leaf spot, long shot, loquat, love knot, manat, marplot, moon shot, motmot, mug shot, nightspot, odd lot, one-shot, Pequot, Pol Pot, potshot, Rabat, red-hot, reef knot, ring spot, root knot, root rot, sandlot, set shot, sexpot, Shabbat, Shebat, sheepcote, slap shot, slingshot, slipknot, slungshot, snapshot, soft rot, soft spot, somewhat, split shot, square knot, stinkpot, stockpot, subplot, sunspot, sweet spot, sword knot, teapot, tin-pot, topknot, tosspot, try-pot, upshot, wainscot, warm spot, whatnot, white-hot, woodlot, wood shot, wrist shot
ROBOT Defined for Kids
robot
noun ro·bot \ˈrō-ˌbät\
Definition of ROBOT for Kids
1
: a machine that looks and acts like a human being
2
: a machine that can do the work of a person automatically or under the control of a computer
Word History of ROBOT
In 1923 the play R.U.R., by Karel Čapek, opened in London and New York. In the play “R.U.R.” stands for “Rossum's Universal Robots,” a company formed by an English scientist named Rossum to manufacture humanlike machines called “robots” to do hard, boring jobs. In Czech—the language of what is today the Czech Republic and the original language of the play—the word robota means “forced labor,” and Čapek based his new coinage “robot” on this word. Čapek's play was popular, and soon the word became a general term for machines that can perform the tasks of a person.
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