Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A mechanical device that sometimes resembles a human and is capable of performing a variety of often complex human tasks on command or by being programmed in advance.
- n. A machine or device that operates automatically or by remote control.
- n. A person who works mechanically without original thought, especially one who responds automatically to the commands of others.
Wiktionary
- n. An intelligent mechanical being designed to look like a human or other creature, and usually made from metal.
- n. A person who does not seem to have any emotions.
- n. A machine built to carry out some complex task or group of tasks, especially one which can be programmed.
- n. A traffic light.
- n. A theodolite which follows the movements of a prism and can be used by a one-man crew.
- n. A style of dance popular in disco whereby the dancer impersonates the movement of a robot
WordNet 3.0
- n. a mechanism that can move automatically
Etymologies
- Czech, from robota, drudgery; see orbh- in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“The term robot derives from the Czech word robit, meaning "work," and came into wide use in 1923 when Karl Capek wrote a play R. U. R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), in which mechanical beings did all the work for man.”
“The word "robot" comes from the Czech word "robotnik", meaning serf, or”
“But the space program uses the term robot broadly — and the humor has been a little broad, too.”
Space: Also a Frontier for Corny Jokes - The Lede Blog - NYTimes.com
“The 1/1-scale, 18-meter-tall statue of the title robot from the Gundam anime franchise was unveiled on Friday at its new home in central Japanese city of Shizuoka, the self-described "model capital of the world.”
“Although the term robot may suggest science fiction or exotic gadgets from Japan, robots are commonly used today in industry and the military.”
“The term robot, coined in the 1920s, comes from the Czech word for menial forced labor.”
“Ohata designed the title robot in Aim for the Top!”
“There are more robots this time around including the impressive Devastator with it's funnel-like capabilities, and the title robot,”
“Čapek was the first person to introduce the term robot to the world, though the term was actually invented by his brother Josef.”
“Čapek was the first person to introduce the term robot to the world.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘robot’.
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Loanwords
Since English is littered with loanwords, everything could conceivably end up here. But there is a distinct feeling associated with these.. maybe they're young additions to the English language; I ...
iceberg, fjord, firth, abbey, abyss, anorak, apartheid, assassin, avalanche, avocado, balaclava, banana and 104 more...
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Headlines & Newsmakers
frugality, environment, extinction, bible, killer, jazz, cloning, dead, god, moon, global warming, bailout and 338 more...
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Redundancing
The Moves. Do~do~ditty!
tango, bolero, cha cha, foxtrot, foxtantino, hip hop, hustle, jive, merengue, two step, paso doble, quickstep and 219 more...
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Yazhinni Spelling bee
tongue, stallion, scruple, salinity, schedule, rouge, populist, Permian, perspire, pasteurize, multitude, mournful and 227 more...
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Recently viewed
A random list of things people are looking up on Wordnik.
craftsperson, bobble-head, kiwi and emu brot..., st. isidore the f..., cloudlessness, sangwidges, omnes Una Manet nox, Chappie, Inca dove, ew, C'mere, skepticism and 966 more...
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ro- ro- ro- your boat
For words beginning with ro-.
rorid, roral, roscid, roblet, rogalian, rogitate, roomthily, roadster, roband, robinet, roborant, roborate and 35 more...
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Nouns for XKCD936-compliant passphrases
A list of 2048 common English nouns (of 4 letters or more) that could be used to generate plausible, memorable random phrases.
I'm going to use this list in a password generator, inspi...miracle, hotdog, chair, horse, staple, battery, beer, cheese, fire, head, hand, foot and 15 more...
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automachine
robot, automaton, drone, unmanned aerial v..., u.a.v., u.c.a.v., skynet, replicator, cyborg, artificial intell..., a.i., h.a.l. and 16 more...
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identifiers
species, sex, age bracket, occupation, hobby .. etc.
man, woman, human being, student, zombie, artist, octopus, race driver, scientist, algorithmist, mathematician, child and 59 more...
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Pseudo-edge
The middle-aged corporate marketer's version of a teen lexicon.
ultimate, extreme, chillin, totally, bling, karma, stoke, smooth, flav, punch, ish, hype and 43 more...
Prolagus In South Africa, that's what traffic lights are called. May 1, 2011
seanahan I recently saw this play, and it was quite excellent. The issues raised about industrialization, outsourcing, international politics, and sentience of machines are becoming more important today than they were when it was written. I also detected quite a few subtle jabs at Communism. Jan 4, 2008
rolig Coined by the Czech writer Karel Čapek in his play R.U.R. – Rossum's Universal Robots, from the Czech word robota, "forced labor". Jan 2, 2008
arielarielariel And then I will name my other cat robot. But only if it has a round-shaped head. Dec 6, 2006