robot
Robot began with a Czech word for forced labor before becoming the name for a machine that works on its own.
Robot comes from Czech robota, meaning forced labor or drudgery. The modern international sense was popularized by Karel Čapek’s 1920 play R.U.R., where artificial workers challenge the idea of labor and humanity.
Language path
Follow the word through time.
Each step adds context. The route is a compact map of the languages and meanings that shaped the word we use today.
- 1Czechrobota
forced labor or hard service
- 21920robot
artificial worker in R.U.R.
- 3Modern Englishrobot
a machine capable of programmed work
Meaning today
A machine that performs tasks automatically or under programmed control.
A detail worth knowing
The word entered global vocabulary through theatre, not through a technical manual.
What the evidence supports
Karel Čapek introduced robot in the 1920 play R.U.R. He later credited his brother Josef with suggesting the term from Czech robota. The play’s robots were manufactured workers closer to artificial people than the metal machines later popular culture imagined.
What the old meaning left behind
The labor meaning never disappeared completely. Modern discussions of robots still revolve around work, automation, control, and what happens when a created worker gains agency.
Sources and notes
This curated page summarizes the references below. When explanations compete or remain uncertain, we avoid presenting a memorable story as settled fact.
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