robot

noun

a machine that resembles a human and does mechanical, routine tasks on command.

a person who acts and responds in a mechanical, routine manner, usually subject to another's will; automaton.

any machine or mechanical device that operates automatically with humanlike skill.

adjective

operating automatically: a robot train operating between airline terminals.

Origin:
< Czech, coined by Karel Čapek in the play R.U.R. (1920) from the base robot-, as in robota compulsory labor, robotník peasant owing such labor

Related forms

ro·bot·ism, noun

ro·bot·ic, ro·bot·is·tic

[roh-buh-tis-tik, -bo-] , adjective

ro·bot·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

robot (ˈrəʊbɒt)

—n
1.	any automated machine programmed to perform specific mechanical functions in the manner of a man
2.	(modifier) not controlled by man; automatic: a robot pilot
3.	a person who works or behaves like a machine; automaton
4.	(South African) a set of traffic lights

[C20: (used in R.U.R., a play by Karel Čapek) from Czech robota work; related to Old Slavonic rabota servitude, German Arbeit work]

ro'botic

—*adj*

'robotism

—n

'robotry

—n

'robot-like

—*adj*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

robot

1923, from Eng. translation of 1920 play "R.U.R." ("Rossum's Universal Robots"), by Karel Capek (1890-1938), from Czech robotnik "slave," from robota "forced labor, drudgery," from robotiti "to work, drudge," from an Old Czech source akin to Old Church Slavonic rabota "servitude," from rabu "slave"

(see orphan), from a Slavic stem related to Ger. Arbeit "work" (O.H.G. arabeit). According to Rawson the word was popularized by Karel Capek's play, "but was coined by his brother Josef (the two often collaborated), who used it initially in a short story." Robotics coined 1941 in a science fiction context by Isaac Asimov, who proposed the "Three Laws of Robotics" in 1968.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

robot ro·bot (rō'bət, -bŏt')
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.
A machine or device that operates automatically or by remote control.
A person who works mechanically without original thought, especially one who responds automatically to the commands of others.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage

Science Dictionary

robot

(rō'bŏt') Pronunciation Key
A machine designed to replace human beings in performing a variety of tasks, either on command or by being programmed in advance.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary

robot

n. See bot.

Jargon
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FOLDOC

Computing Dictionary

robot definition

1. A mechanical device for performing a task which might otherwise be done by a human, e.g. spraying paint on cars.
See also cybernetics.
2. An IRC or MUD user who is actually a program. On IRC, typically the robot provides some useful service. Examples are NickServ, which tries to prevent random users from adopting nicks already claimed by others, and MsgServ, which allows one to send asynchronous messages to be delivered when the recipient signs on. Also common are "annoybots", such as KissServ, which perform no useful function except to send cute messages to other people. Service robots are less common on MUDs; but some others, such as the "Julia" robot active in 1990--91, have been remarkably impressive Turing test experiments, able to pass as human for as long as ten or fifteen minutes of conversation.
3. spider.
[Jargon File]
(1996-03-23)

Example sentences

It would seem that putting a robot onto a bike would be a pointless exercise

akin to putting gas-powered horses before a carriage.

The robot is designed to snake through dark, narrow air conditioning ducts and

spot obstacles along the way.

For robot designers these days, small is beautiful.

One robot cooks while other robots set the table and wash the dishes.

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Matching Quote

"Let's start with the three fundamental Rules of Robotics.... We have: one, a robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. Two, a robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. And three, a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws."

-Isaac Asimov

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