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bot1

[bot] /bɒt/
noun
1.
the larva of a botfly.
Also, bott1 .
Origin
late Middle English
1425-1475
1425-75; late Middle English; akin to Dutch bot, Frisian dialect botten (plural); further origin obscure

bot2

[bot] /bɒt/
noun, Australian Slang.
1.
a person who cadges; scrounger.
Origin
1915-20; perhaps shortening of botfly

bot3

[bot] /bɒt/
noun
1.
a device or piece of software that can execute commands, reply to messages, or perform routine tasks, as online searches, either automatically or with minimal human intervention (often used in combination):
intelligent infobots; shopping bots that help consumers find the best prices.
Origin
1985-90; shortening of robot

bot.

1.
botanical.
2.
botanist.
3.
botany.
4.
bottle.

B.O.T.

1.
Board of Trade.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2015.
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Examples from the web for bot
  • For more advanced arenas, normally a bot is required to host the games.
British Dictionary definitions for bot

bot1

/bɒt/
noun
1.
the larva of a botfly, which typically develops inside the body of a horse, sheep, or man
2.
any similar larva
3.
(NZ, informal) a mild illness in humans
See also bots
Word Origin
C15: probably from Low German; related to Dutch bot, of obscure origin

bot2

/bɒt/
verb
1.
to scrounge or borrow
2.
(intransitive) often foll by on. to scrounge (from); impose (on)
noun
3.
a scrounger
4.
on the bot, wanting to scrounge: he's on the bot for a cigarette
Word Origin
C20: perhaps from botfly, alluding to the creature's bite; see bite (sense 12)

bot3

/bɒt/
noun
1.
(computing) an autonomous computer program that performs time-consuming tasks, esp on the internet
Word Origin
C20: from (ro)bot

BOT

abbreviation
1.
Board of Trade

bot.

abbreviation
1.
botanical
2.
botany
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word Origin and History for bot
n.

in Internet sense, c.2000, short for robot. Its modern use has curious affinities with earlier uses, e.g. "parasitical worm or maggot" (1520s), of unknown origin; and Australian-New Zealand slang "worthless, troublesome person" (World War I-era). The method of minting new slang by clipping the heads off words does not seem to be old or widespread in English. Examples (za from pizza, zels from pretzels, rents from parents) are American English student or teen slang and seem to date back no further than late 1960s.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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bot in Medicine

bot (bŏt)
n.

  1. The parasitic larva of a botfly.

  2. bots A disease of mammals, especially cattle and horses, caused by infestation of the stomach or intestines with botfly larvae.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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bot in Science
bot
  (bŏt)   
A software program that imitates the behavior of a human, as by querying search engines or participating in chatroom discussions.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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bot in Technology
networking, chat, World-Wide Web
(From "robot") Any type of autonomous software that operates as an agent for a user or a program or simulates a human activity. On the Internet, the most popular bots are programs (called spiders or crawlers) used for searching. They access web sites, retrieve documents and follow all the hypertext links in them; then they generate catalogs that are accessed by search engines.
A chatbot converses with humans (or other bots). A shopbot searches the Web to find the best price for a product. Other bots (such as OpenSesame) observe a user's patterns in navigating a website and customises the site for that user.
Knowbots collect specific information from websites.
(1999-05-20)
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org
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Related Abbreviations for bot

bot

small computer program (from "robot")

BOT

  1. back on topic
  2. beginning of tape
  3. Board of Trade

bot.

  1. botanical
  2. botanist
  3. botany
  4. bottle
  5. bottom
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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