Robot (ROH-bot)
Origin
From Czech robot, introduced to international audiences through Czech writer Karel Čapek’s 1920 play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots). Čapek credited his brother Josef Čapek with suggesting the word.
Language Root
Czech — robota, meaning “forced labor,” “drudgery,” or compulsory work owed by a serf.
Original Meaning
A manufactured artificial worker created to perform labor for humans.
Evolution Over Time
In R.U.R., the robots were not originally mechanical metal machines like the robots imagined today. They were artificial biological workers created to perform human labor. The play became internationally successful, carrying robot into numerous languages. As science fiction developed, the word increasingly became associated with mechanical and electronic machines capable of performing tasks automatically. Robotics eventually became a major field of engineering and computer science.
Modern Usage
A machine capable of carrying out tasks automatically or semi-autonomously, often using sensors, software, mechanical systems, and increasingly artificial intelligence.
Word Family
Robot, Robotic, Robotics, Roboticist, Robotization
Related Concept
Automation, Artificial Intelligence, Machinery, Labor, Engineering, Science Fiction, Androids, Industrialization
Narrative
Before robot meant a machine, it meant work—and not pleasant work. Its ancestor, Czech robota, referred to compulsory labor and drudgery. In 1920, Karel Čapek needed a name for the artificial workers in his play R.U.R. His brother Josef reportedly suggested robot. The word escaped the theater and traveled around the world. A century later, robots build cars, explore Mars, assist surgeons, move warehouse packages, and appear throughout science fiction. One of technology’s most futuristic words carries an unexpectedly human history: forced labor.