bots

[bots]

noun (used with a plural verb) Veterinary Pathology.

a disease affecting various mammals, especially horses, caused by the attachment of the parasitic larvae of botflies to the stomach of the host.

Origin of bots

1780–90; plural of bot²; see -s³

bot

[bot]

noun

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 of bot

1985–90; shortening of robot

bot

or bott

[bot]

noun

the larva of a botfly.

Origin of bot

1425–75; late Middle English; akin to Dutch bot, Frisian dialect botten (plural); further origin obscure

bot

[bot]

noun Australian Slang.

a person who cadges; scrounger.

Origin of bot

First recorded in 1915–20; perhaps shortening of botfly

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for bots

Historical Examples of bots

Many other species of animals are infested with their own particular species of bots.
Insects and Diseases
Rennie W. Doane
One of Orson Pratt's horses is very sick, supposed to be the bots.
William Clayton's Journal
William Clayton
The most important of these are bots and other larv or maggots of various flies (Diptera).
Parasites
T. Spencer Cobbold
Hopes list records five cases of bots of strus hominus, one of .
Parasites
T. Spencer Cobbold
Fig. 46, taken from a drawing in Raumur's Memoirs, represents the bots of which we speak.
The Insect World
Louis Figuier

British Dictionary definitions for bots

bots

noun

(functioning as singular) a digestive disease of horses and some other animals caused by the presence of botfly larvae in the stomach

BOT

abbreviation for

Board of Trade

bot

bott

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

Word Origin for bot

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

bot

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)

bot

noun

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

Word Origin for bot

C20: from (ro) bot

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

Word Origin and History for bots

bot

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.

bots in Medicine

bot

[bŏt]

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

bots in Science

bot

[bŏt]

A software program that imitates the behavior of a human, as by querying search engines or participating in chatroom discussions.