Where does “robot” come from?
Robot comes from Czech robot, derived from Czech robota meaning forced labor, ultimately from Proto-Slavic orbъ and Proto-Indo-European h₃órbʰos meaning servant or slave.
robot (English): A machine built to carry out some complex task or...
Definitions
- A machine built to carry out some complex task or...
Ancestry of “robot”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Robot | socage |
| 2 | Czech | robot | robot in humanoid form |
| 3 | Czech | robota | serfdom, villeinage; corvee; any arduous work;... |
| 4 | Old Czech | robota | servitude, enslavement |
| 5 | Proto-Slavic | orbòta | work |
| 6 | Proto-Slavic | orbъ | servant, slave |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃órbʰos | orphan; servant, slave, worker |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃erbʰ- | to change allegiance, status, ownership;... |