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bot

1
[ bot ]
/ bɒt /
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noun
Digital Technology. a software program 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): a social media bot retweeting certain posts;a customer service chatbot to answer product questions.
Informal. a robot.
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Origin of bot

1
First recorded in 1985–90; def. 2 first recorded in 1965–70; shortening of robot

Other definitions for bot (2 of 5)

bot2

or bott

[ bot ]
/ bɒt /

noun
the larva of a botfly.

Origin of bot

2
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; akin to Dutch bot, Frisian dialect botten (plural); further origin unknown

Other definitions for bot (3 of 5)

bot3
[ bot ]
/ bɒt /

noun Australian Slang.
a person who cadges; scrounger.

Origin of bot

3
First recorded in 1915–20; perhaps shortening of botfly

Other definitions for bot (4 of 5)

bot.

abbreviation
botanical.
botanist.
botany.
bottle.

Other definitions for bot (5 of 5)

B.O.T.

abbreviation
Board of Trade.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bot in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bot (1 of 5)

bot1

bott

/ (bɒt) /

noun
the larva of a botfly, which typically develops inside the body of a horse, sheep, or man
any similar larva
NZ informal a mild illness in humans
See also bots

Word Origin for bot

C15: probably from Low German; related to Dutch bot, of obscure origin

British Dictionary definitions for bot (2 of 5)

bot2
/ (bɒt) Australian informal /

verb
to scrounge or borrow
(intr often foll by on) to scrounge (from); impose (on)
noun
a scrounger
on the bot wanting to scroungehe's on the bot for a cigarette

Word Origin for bot

C20: perhaps from botfly, alluding to the creature's bite; see bite (sense 12)

British Dictionary definitions for bot (3 of 5)

bot3
/ (bɒt) /

noun
computing an autonomous computer program that performs time-consuming tasks, esp on the internet

Word Origin for bot

C20: from (ro) bot

British Dictionary definitions for bot (4 of 5)

BOT

abbreviation for
Board of Trade

British Dictionary definitions for bot (5 of 5)

bot.

abbreviation for
botanical
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

Scientific definitions for bot

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 © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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