A mechanical device that sometimes resembles a human and is capable of performing a variety of often complex human tasks on command or by being programmed in advance. A machine or device that operates automatically or by remote control. A person who works mechanically without original thought, especially one who responds automatically to the commands of others. Czech, from robota , drudgery. See orbh- .
Robot is a word that is both a coinage by an individual person and a borrowing.
It has been in English since 1923 when the Czech writer Karel apek's play R.U.R. was translated into English and presented in London and New York. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.