Etymology

robot

ro·bot
R1O1B3O1T1

Today it means: A system of serfdom used in Central Europe, under which a tenant's rent was paid in forced labour. Full definition →

First used 19th c.German Robot ← West Slavic
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robot · noun1

  1. West Slavic · derived from
  2. German · derived fromRobot
  3. English todayrobot

From German Robot, from a West Slavic language, ultimately related to Etymology 2, below.

robot · noun2

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₃erbʰ-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₃órbʰos
  3. Proto-Balto-Slavic*árbas
  4. Proto-Slavic*orbъ
  5. Proto-Slavic*orbiti
  6. Proto-Slavic*orbota
  7. Old Czechrobota
  8. Czechrobota
  9. Czechrobot
  10. English todayrobot

Borrowed from Czech robot, from robota (“drudgery, servitude”). Coined by Czech science-fiction writer and playwright Karel Čapek in 1920 in the play R.U.R. after having been suggested to him by his brother Josef. Largely displaced English automaton. Ultimately a cognate with Middle English arveth from Old English earfoþe, and German Arbeit; see dialectal erf. Doublet of etymology 1. Related to English orphan, but with a -t- suffix from Proto-Slavic instead of the -an- from Ancient Greek. Compare Polish robotnik and Russian работник (rabotnik, “worker”), sometimes mistakenly cited as the direct source of the English word.

robot · noun3

Referencing the origin of the name of the 4chan imageboard /r9k/ (created in 2008), so-called because it implements the ROBOT9000 algorithm by Randall Munroe to prevent the reposting of content. Possibly overlapping with the sense of robot (“a person who does not seem to have any emotions”), alluding to autism, due to the prevalence of personal stories describing awkward or embarrassing situations on the board.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 19th c. A system of serfdom used in Central Europe, under which a tenant's rent was paid in forced labour.
  • from 20th c. An intelligent mechanical being designed to look like a human or other creature, and usually made from metal.
  • from 20th c. A machine built to carry out some complex task or group of tasks by physically moving, especially one which can be programmed.
  • from 20th c. A person who does not seem to have any emotions or individuality.
  • from 20th c. A traffic light (from earlier robot policeman).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.