robot
[ roh-buh t, -bot ]
/ ˈroʊ bət, -bɒt /
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.
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RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
robocall, robocar, robocop, roborant, robosign, robot, robot bomb, robot dancing, robot pilot, robotic, roboticist
Origin of robot
< 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, nounro·bot·ic, ro·bot·is·tic [roh-buh-tis-tik, -bo-] /ˌroʊ bəˈtɪs tɪk, -bɒ-/, adjectivero·bot·like, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for robot
British Dictionary definitions for robot
robot
/ (ˈrəʊbɒt) /
noun
any automated machine programmed to perform specific mechanical functions in the manner of a man
(modifier) not controlled by man; automatica robot pilot
a person who works or behaves like a machine; automaton
Southern African a set of traffic lights
Derived Forms
robotic, adjectiverobotism or robotry, nounrobot-like, adjectiveWord Origin for robot
C20: (used in R.U.R., a play by Karel Čapek) from Czech robota work; related to Old Slavonic rabota servitude, German Arbeit work
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
Medicine definitions for robot
robot
[ rō′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.
Science definitions for robot
robot
[ rō′bŏt′ ]
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 © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.