Robot — Lexography

Journey of meaning

3 forms

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The robot journey, in text

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robota · Czech
noun · Czech
Reading: ROH-boh-tah
Drudgery; servitude. Compulsory labor owed under a system of servitude; also hard or exhausting work. This noun supplied the material for the invented worker-name robot.
By 1920 — Approximate inferred bound. The labor word had to be available when robot was formed for the 1920 play. This is only a latest-possible bound; it does not imply that robota began in the twentieth century.
Czech reference region — Approximate Glottolog language reference point. Not a word origin, borrowing location or historical border.
robota (robota), Czech: Drudgery; servitude. The labor word underlies the name of the fictional worker. English > Etymology 2, prose account
robota → robot: derivation. The source identifies this connection. English > Etymology 2, prose account
Czech robota denotes compulsory labor or corvée, and arduous work or drudgery. Czech > Etymology 1 > Noun
The selected reading of robota is [ˈrobota] (Present-day Czech). Czech > Pronunciation
robota: By 1920 — inferred bound. English > Etymology 2, first paragraph
robota is classified as noun for this Czech stage. Czech > Etymology 1 > Noun
Regional orientation uses Glottolog’s reference point czec1258. LanguageTable row czec1258; Latitude, Longitude (rounded where needed).
robot · Czech
noun · Czech
Reading: ROH-bot
The artificial worker in R.U.R.. The artificial workers of Karel Čapek’s R.U.R. (1920), named on Josef Čapek’s suggestion from robota, compulsory work. The later everyday word for an automated machine grows from this fictional-worker name.
1920 — The source dates the Czech play’s word to 1920.
Czech reference region — Approximate Glottolog language reference point. Not a word origin, borrowing location or historical border.
robot (robot), Czech: The artificial worker in R.U.R.. Karel Čapek used the term in 1920 after a suggestion from his brother Josef. English > Etymology 2, prose account
robota → robot: derivation. The source identifies this connection. English > Etymology 2, prose account
robot → robot: borrowing. The source identifies this connection. English > Etymology 2, prose account
Czech robot: 1920. The source dates the Czech play’s word to 1920. English > Etymology 2, paragraph on the Czech play R.U.R. (1920)
Czech robot names an artificial worker; the English etymology credits Josef Čapek’s suggestion to Karel for R.U.R. English > Etymology 2; Czech > Noun
The selected reading of robot is [ˈrobot] (Present-day Czech). Czech > Pronunciation
robot is classified as noun for this Czech stage. English > Etymology 2; Czech > Noun
The dictionary credits Josef Čapek with suggesting robot for Karel’s play. English also names automatic devices and, figuratively, a person behaving mechanically. Did you know? > Josef Čapek suggestion; Noun > senses 1–3
Regional orientation uses Glottolog’s reference point czec1258. LanguageTable row czec1258; Latitude, Longitude (rounded where needed).
robot · English
noun · English
Reading: ROH-bot
An artificial worker; later a task-performing machine. An artificial worker in fiction, and later a machine that performs tasks. The 1920 English subtitle inside the Czech edition is documentary evidence, while Merriam-Webster lists 1922 for its English entry.
1920 (subtitle) — Internet Archive reports an English-language subtitle in the 1920 first edition; Merriam-Webster lists first known use as 1922.
Location not yet researched — No location verified for this particular stage.
robot is the borrowed English form for an artificial worker. The 1920 subtitle evidence is attributed separately to Internet Archive. English > Etymology 2, prose account
robot → robot: borrowing. The source identifies this connection. English > Etymology 2, prose account
English robot: 1920 (subtitle). Internet Archive reports an English-language subtitle in the 1920 first edition; Merriam-Webster lists first known use as 1922. Opening paragraphs identifying the English subtitle on the 1920 Czech first-edition title page
The Internet Archive article identifies an English subtitle in the 1920 Czech first edition. Opening paragraphs, “There on the title page”
Merriam-Webster lists 1922 as first known English use. Word History > First Known Use
A machine that performs tasks automatically or under programmed control. In fiction, a robot may be an artificial worker or humanlike being; the word does not require a human shape. English > Etymology 2 > Noun
The selected reading of robot is /ˈɹəʊ.bɒt/ (Present-day British English). English > Pronunciation
robot is classified as noun for this English stage. English > Etymology 2 > Noun
The dictionary credits Josef Čapek with suggesting robot for Karel’s play. English also names automatic devices and, figuratively, a person behaving mechanically. Did you know? > Josef Čapek suggestion; Noun > senses 1–3

Relationships

robota → robot: derivation, documented. The source identifies this connection. English > Etymology 2, prose account

robot → robot: borrowing, documented. The source identifies this connection. English extensions: The artificial-worker name also covers practical automated devices and is applied metaphorically to a person. The early play date does not date every later use. English > Etymology 2, prose account

Inspect the evidence 23 claims

Open a claim to follow the source and our interpretation.

01robota (robota), Czech: Drudgery; servitude. The labor word underlies the name of the fictional worker.
Source
robot — English artificial-worker and Czech entriesEnglish Wiktionary contributorsEnglish > Etymology 2, prose account
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The artificial-worker sense is borrowed from Czech robot, derived from robota (drudgery, servitude); the account names the 1920 play R.U.R.
English > Etymology 2, first paragraph
Qualification Source-supported
The excerpt shows the source’s form or etymological account. The concise meaning and explanation are Lexography’s reading of the entry.
What Lexography infers
We show robota as a Czech stage for robot. Time context is recorded in the separate period evidence; this lexical excerpt alone does not supply a first-use date.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 92530281. CC BY-SA 4.0; selected and adapted with attribution Link formatting and spacing normalized; summaries are labeled.
02Regional orientation uses Glottolog’s reference point czec1258.
Source
Glottolog 5.3 — language reference coordinatesHammarström, Forkel, Haspelmath & Bank; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLanguageTable row czec1258; Latitude, Longitude (rounded where needed).
Source passage
Reference record
czec1258 · Czech · Latitude 49.873398 · Longitude 15.10437
LanguageTable row czec1258; Name, Latitude, Longitude
Qualification Reference only
This is a language reference coordinate. It is not evidence of where this word originated, was borrowed or travelled.
What Lexography infers
We use this point to orient robota on the map, with an approximate region label. It adds no historical route or border claim.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 072ca0d0410039fb8b779be8fc165bac575d2cda. CC BY 4.0; selected coordinates, rounded for regional orientation
03robot (robot), Czech: The artificial worker in R.U.R.. Karel Čapek used the term in 1920 after a suggestion from his brother Josef.
Source
robot — English artificial-worker and Czech entriesEnglish Wiktionary contributorsEnglish > Etymology 2, prose account
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The artificial-worker sense is borrowed from Czech robot, derived from robota (drudgery, servitude); the account names the 1920 play R.U.R.
English > Etymology 2, first paragraph
Qualification Source-supported
The excerpt shows the source’s form or etymological account. The concise meaning and explanation are Lexography’s reading of the entry.
What Lexography infers
We show robot as a Czech stage for robot. The period is supported by a separate dated claim.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 92530281. CC BY-SA 4.0; selected and adapted with attribution Link formatting and spacing normalized; summaries are labeled.
04Regional orientation uses Glottolog’s reference point czec1258.
Source
Glottolog 5.3 — language reference coordinatesHammarström, Forkel, Haspelmath & Bank; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLanguageTable row czec1258; Latitude, Longitude (rounded where needed).
Source passage
Reference record
czec1258 · Czech · Latitude 49.873398 · Longitude 15.10437
LanguageTable row czec1258; Name, Latitude, Longitude
Qualification Reference only
This is a language reference coordinate. It is not evidence of where this word originated, was borrowed or travelled.
What Lexography infers
We use this point to orient robot on the map, with an approximate region label. It adds no historical route or border claim.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 072ca0d0410039fb8b779be8fc165bac575d2cda. CC BY 4.0; selected coordinates, rounded for regional orientation
05robot is the borrowed English form for an artificial worker. The 1920 subtitle evidence is attributed separately to Internet Archive.
Source
robot — English artificial-worker and Czech entriesEnglish Wiktionary contributorsEnglish > Etymology 2, prose account
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The artificial-worker sense is borrowed from Czech robot, derived from robota (drudgery, servitude); the account names the 1920 play R.U.R.
English > Etymology 2, first paragraph
Qualification Source-supported
The excerpt shows the source’s form or etymological account. The concise meaning and explanation are Lexography’s reading of the entry.
What Lexography infers
We show robot as a English stage for robot. The period is supported by a separate dated claim.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 92530281. CC BY-SA 4.0; selected and adapted with attribution Link formatting and spacing normalized; summaries are labeled.
06robota → robot: derivation. The source identifies this connection.
Source
robot — English artificial-worker and Czech entriesEnglish Wiktionary contributorsEnglish > Etymology 2, prose account
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The artificial-worker sense is borrowed from Czech robot, derived from robota (drudgery, servitude); the account names the 1920 play R.U.R.
English > Etymology 2, first paragraph
Qualification Source-supported
The source identifies this connection.
What Lexography infers
We connect robota (Czech) to robot (Czech) as derivation. Any line on the map is schematic, not a documented physical itinerary.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 92530281. CC BY-SA 4.0; selected and adapted with attribution Link formatting and spacing normalized; summaries are labeled.
07robot → robot: borrowing. The source identifies this connection.
Source
robot — English artificial-worker and Czech entriesEnglish Wiktionary contributorsEnglish > Etymology 2, prose account
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The artificial-worker sense is borrowed from Czech robot, derived from robota (drudgery, servitude); the account names the 1920 play R.U.R.
English > Etymology 2, first paragraph
Qualification Source-supported
The source identifies this connection.
What Lexography infers
We connect robot (Czech) to robot (English) as borrowing. Any line on the map is schematic, not a documented physical itinerary.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 92530281. CC BY-SA 4.0; selected and adapted with attribution Link formatting and spacing normalized; summaries are labeled.
08Czech robot: 1920. The source dates the Czech play’s word to 1920.
Source
robot — English artificial-worker and Czech entriesEnglish Wiktionary contributorsEnglish > Etymology 2, paragraph on the Czech play R.U.R. (1920)
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The artificial-worker sense is borrowed from Czech robot, derived from robota (drudgery, servitude); the account names the 1920 play R.U.R.
English > Etymology 2, first paragraph
Qualification Qualified
The source dates the Czech play’s word to 1920.
What Lexography infers
We place robot at 1920 on the recorded-evidence scale. This does not date the origin of the word.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 92530281. CC BY-SA 4.0; selected and adapted with attribution Link formatting and spacing normalized; summaries are labeled.
09English robot: 1920 (subtitle). Internet Archive reports an English-language subtitle in the 1920 first edition; Merriam-Webster lists first known use as 1922.
Source
Major SciFi Discovery Hiding in Plain Sight at the Internet ArchiveCaralee Adams; Internet Archive BlogsOpening paragraphs identifying the English subtitle on the 1920 Czech first-edition title page
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The article identifies an English subtitle on the title page of the 1920 Czech first edition.
Opening paragraphs describing the first-edition title page
Qualification Qualified
Internet Archive reports an English-language subtitle in the 1920 first edition; Merriam-Webster lists first known use as 1922.
What Lexography infers
We place robot at 1920 (subtitle) on the recorded-evidence scale. This does not date the origin of the word.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 2021-03-24 article. Linked factual summary only; no article redistribution
10The Internet Archive article identifies an English subtitle in the 1920 Czech first edition.
Source
Major SciFi Discovery Hiding in Plain Sight at the Internet ArchiveCaralee Adams; Internet Archive BlogsOpening paragraphs, “There on the title page”
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The article identifies an English subtitle on the title page of the 1920 Czech first edition.
Opening paragraphs describing the first-edition title page
Qualification Qualified
This is a publisher’s account of an English subtitle in a Czech edition, not evidence of general English adoption in that year.
What Lexography infers
We show a documented 1920 subtitle use and retain Merriam-Webster’s different 1922 first-known-use account.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 2021-03-24 article. Linked factual summary only; no article redistribution
11Merriam-Webster lists 1922 as first known English use.
Source
robot — Word History & definitionsMerriam-WebsterWord History > First Known Use
Source passage
Excerpt
1922, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Word History > First Known Use, Noun
Qualification Qualified
The dictionary’s 1922 date differs from the 1920 subtitle described by Internet Archive.
What Lexography infers
We preserve the discrepancy instead of forcing both kinds of written evidence into one origin date.
Checked 2026-09-13. Copyright Merriam-Webster; brief attributed excerpts and factual summaries only; no full article redistribution
12A machine that performs tasks automatically or under programmed control. In fiction, a robot may be an artificial worker or humanlike being; the word does not require a human shape.
Source
robot — English artificial-worker and Czech entriesEnglish Wiktionary contributorsEnglish > Etymology 2 > Noun
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
A machine that performs tasks automatically or under programmed control. In fiction, a robot may be an artificial worker or humanlike being; the word does not require a human shape.
English > Etymology 2 > Noun
Qualification Source-supported
This is an editorial summary of the selected present-day senses, not a claim that every sense existed at the earliest date.
What Lexography infers
Give the searched entry a fuller, readable definition and keep historical changes separately sourced.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 92530281. CC BY-SA 4.0; selected and adapted with attribution Link formatting and spacing normalized; summaries are labeled.
13The selected reading of robot is /ˈɹəʊ.bɒt/ (Present-day British English).
Source
robot — English artificial-worker and Czech entriesEnglish Wiktionary contributorsEnglish > Pronunciation
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
Present-day British English: /ˈɹəʊ.bɒt/.
English > Pronunciation
Qualification Qualified
This is a present-day dictionary reading, not a reconstruction of pronunciation at the displayed historical date.
What Lexography infers
The readable guide “ROH-bot” is Lexography’s approximation of this cited pronunciation, not a separate source transcription.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 92530281. CC BY-SA 4.0; selected and adapted with attribution Link formatting and spacing normalized; summaries are labeled.
14Czech robota denotes compulsory labor or corvée, and arduous work or drudgery.
Source
robota — Czech entryEnglish Wiktionary contributorsCzech > Etymology 1 > Noun
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
Czech robota denotes compulsory labor or corvée, and arduous work or drudgery.
Czech > Etymology 1 > Noun
Qualification Source-supported
This records the specified language and sense. Other homographs and historical periods are not interchangeable.
What Lexography infers
Use this lexical record to describe the selected stage; a dictionary definition alone does not date its borrowing.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 92293052. Adapted from English Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0; source revision retained. Link formatting and spacing normalized; summaries are labeled.
15Czech robot names an artificial worker; the English etymology credits Josef Čapek’s suggestion to Karel for R.U.R.
Source
robot — English artificial-worker and Czech entriesEnglish Wiktionary contributorsEnglish > Etymology 2; Czech > Noun
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
Czech robot names an artificial worker; the English etymology credits Josef Čapek’s suggestion to Karel for R.U.R.
English > Etymology 2; Czech > Noun
Qualification Source-supported
This records the specified language and sense. Other homographs and historical periods are not interchangeable.
What Lexography infers
Use this lexical record to describe the selected stage; a dictionary definition alone does not date its borrowing.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 92530281. CC BY-SA 4.0; selected and adapted with attribution Link formatting and spacing normalized; summaries are labeled.
16The selected reading of robota is [ˈrobota] (Present-day Czech).
Source
robota — Czech entryEnglish Wiktionary contributorsCzech > Pronunciation
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
Present-day Czech: [ˈrobota].
Czech > Pronunciation
Qualification Qualified
The o vowels are short and pure; OH is only an English approximation. This is a present-day dictionary reading, not a reconstruction of pronunciation at the displayed historical date.
What Lexography infers
The readable guide “ROH-boh-tah” is Lexography’s approximation of this cited pronunciation, not a separate source transcription.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 92293052. Adapted from English Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0; source revision retained. Link formatting and spacing normalized; summaries are labeled.
17The selected reading of robot is [ˈrobot] (Present-day Czech).
Source
robot — English artificial-worker and Czech entriesEnglish Wiktionary contributorsCzech > Pronunciation
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
Present-day Czech: [ˈrobot].
Czech > Pronunciation
Qualification Qualified
Both o vowels are short and pure; initial stress differs from no-stress spelling alone. This is a present-day dictionary reading, not a reconstruction of pronunciation at the displayed historical date.
What Lexography infers
The readable guide “ROH-bot” is Lexography’s approximation of this cited pronunciation, not a separate source transcription.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 92530281. CC BY-SA 4.0; selected and adapted with attribution Link formatting and spacing normalized; summaries are labeled.
18The worker-name robot is formed from Czech robota, compulsory work.
Source
robot — English artificial-worker and Czech entriesEnglish Wiktionary contributorsEnglish > Etymology 2; Czech > Noun
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
Czech robot names an artificial worker; the English etymology credits Josef Čapek’s suggestion to Karel for R.U.R.
English > Etymology 2; Czech > Noun
Qualification Qualified
A word-formation change in reference; robota continues to denote labor.
What Lexography infers
Distinguish labor itself from the fictional beings made to perform it.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 92530281. CC BY-SA 4.0; selected and adapted with attribution Link formatting and spacing normalized; summaries are labeled.
19robota: By 1920 — inferred bound.
Source
robot — English artificial-worker and Czech entriesEnglish Wiktionary contributorsEnglish > Etymology 2, first paragraph
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The artificial-worker sense is borrowed from Czech robot, derived from robota (drudgery, servitude); the account names the 1920 play R.U.R.
English > Etymology 2, first paragraph
Qualification Qualified
The labor word had to be available when robot was formed for the 1920 play. This is only a latest-possible bound; it does not imply that robota began in the twentieth century.
What Lexography infers
Use this evidence only at the stated level: a written example, contextual period or latest-possible bound. It does not establish the origin of the form, its entire sense range, or the date of borrowing.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 92530281. CC BY-SA 4.0; selected and adapted with attribution Link formatting and spacing normalized; summaries are labeled.
20robota is classified as noun for this Czech stage.
Source
robota — Czech entryEnglish Wiktionary contributorsCzech > Etymology 1 > Noun
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
Czech robota denotes compulsory labor or corvée, and arduous work or drudgery.
Czech > Etymology 1 > Noun
Qualification Source-supported
Classifies the selected lexical sense from its dictionary section; other senses, grammatical uses and the date of first use are not inferred.
What Lexography infers
Classifies the selected lexical sense from its dictionary section; other senses, grammatical uses and the date of first use are not inferred.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 92293052. Adapted from English Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0; source revision retained. Link formatting and spacing normalized; summaries are labeled.
21robot is classified as noun for this Czech stage.
Source
robot — English artificial-worker and Czech entriesEnglish Wiktionary contributorsEnglish > Etymology 2; Czech > Noun
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
Czech robot names an artificial worker; the English etymology credits Josef Čapek’s suggestion to Karel for R.U.R.
English > Etymology 2; Czech > Noun
Qualification Source-supported
Classifies the selected lexical sense from its dictionary section; other senses, grammatical uses and the date of first use are not inferred.
What Lexography infers
Classifies the selected lexical sense from its dictionary section; other senses, grammatical uses and the date of first use are not inferred.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 92530281. CC BY-SA 4.0; selected and adapted with attribution Link formatting and spacing normalized; summaries are labeled.
22robot is classified as noun for this English stage.
Source
robot — English artificial-worker and Czech entriesEnglish Wiktionary contributorsEnglish > Etymology 2 > Noun
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
A machine that performs tasks automatically or under programmed control. In fiction, a robot may be an artificial worker or humanlike being; the word does not require a human shape.
English > Etymology 2 > Noun
Qualification Source-supported
Classifies the selected lexical sense from its dictionary section; other senses, grammatical uses and the date of first use are not inferred.
What Lexography infers
Classifies the selected lexical sense from its dictionary section; other senses, grammatical uses and the date of first use are not inferred.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 92530281. CC BY-SA 4.0; selected and adapted with attribution Link formatting and spacing normalized; summaries are labeled.
23The dictionary credits Josef Čapek with suggesting robot for Karel’s play. English also names automatic devices and, figuratively, a person behaving mechanically.
Source
robot — Word History & definitionsMerriam-WebsterDid you know? > Josef Čapek suggestion; Noun > senses 1–3
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The dictionary credits Josef Čapek with suggesting robot for Karel’s play. English also names automatic devices and, figuratively, a person behaving mechanically.
Did you know? > Josef Čapek suggestion; Noun > senses 1–3
Qualification Source-supported
The 1920 English subtitle evidence and the dictionary’s 1922 English date remain separately qualified. Contemporary machines need not resemble people.
What Lexography infers
Use this evidence for the specified form or sense; the presentation is an editorial summary.
Checked 2026-09-13. Copyright Merriam-Webster; brief attributed excerpts and factual summaries only; no full article redistribution