robot

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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.

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Definitions (5)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. noun 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.
  2. noun A machine or device that operates automatically or by remote control.
  3. noun A person who works mechanically without original thought, especially one who responds automatically to the commands of others.
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Examples (50)

  • Even so, when he stepped out into the inner corridor, the robot was already emerging from the wardroom, its business apparently finished. —  ISAAC ASIMOV'S
  • With coaching from Derec, the robot was able to “think” an additional joint onto his arm between the elbow and wrist. —  ISAAC ASIMOV'S
  • He kept us alive You heard Hajime—the robot was abnormal. —  ISAAC ASIMOV'S
  • When the robot is a custom-built facsimile of one's employer, bought at an exorbitant price and put on duty for reasons of utmost security, panic is likely to ensue. —  Phule Me Twice
  • I understand the robot is the aliens' way to test how civilized our species is. —  Analog SFF, September 2006
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This word has been looked up 152 times.

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Etymologies (1)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Czech, from robota, drudgery; see orbh- in Indo-European roots.
 

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