Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. A machine built to carry out some complex task or...

Ancestry of “robot”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanRobotsocage
2Czechrobotrobot
3Czechrobotaserfdom, villeinage; corvee; any arduous work;...
4Old Czechrobota—
5Proto-Slavicorbòta—
6Proto-Slavicorbъservant, slave
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃órbʰosorphan; servant, slave, worker
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃erbʰ-to change allegiance, status, ownership;...

Words derived from “robot”

  • robotics
  • multirobot
  • telerobotics
  • nanobot
  • robotlike
  • microrobot
  • chatbot
  • shopbot
  • robotization
  • nanorobotics
  • chatterbot
  • telerobot
  • nanorobot
  • aerobot
  • softbot
  • spambot
  • microrobotics
  • knowbot
  • hydrobot
  • robotism
  • sexbot
  • robotize
  • cryobot
  • mobot
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃erbʰ- →