Robot Comes From a Czech Word for Forced Labour
A robot is a machine that performs tasks automatically. The word was invented for a 1920 play and means serf labour.
A robot is a machine capable of carrying out tasks automatically. The word has a precise birthday: Karel Čapek's 1920 play *R.U.R.* introduced it, built on Czech *robota*, the forced labour a serf owed a landlord. Čapek credited his brother Josef with suggesting it. The play's robots are artificial workers who eventually rise against their makers — the theme arrived with the word. Isaac Asimov later coined *robotics* in 1941, assuming wrongly that the word already existed.
- An automatic machine. *An industrial robot.*
- Robotics — the field. *Robotics.*
- R.U.R. — the 1920 play. *Čapek's play.*
- Czech — *robota*, forced labour. *The source.*
- Android — a human-shaped robot. *An android.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | robot | A robot. |
| Plural | robots | Robots. |
| Adjective | robotic | Robotic. |
| Noun | robotics | Robotics. |
| Czech | robota | Forced labour. |
- Robots weld the car bodies.Industry.
- The word was coined in 1920.History.
- Robota means serf labour.Etymology.
Words invented by writers
- Robot — Karel Čapek, 1920
- Robotics — Isaac Asimov, 1941
- Cyberspace — William Gibson, 1982
- Utopia — Thomas More, 1516
- Nerd — Dr Seuss, 1950
Czech *robot*, coined by Karel Čapek in 1920 from *robota*, forced labour or drudgery.
Who invented the word robot?
Karel Čapek used it in his 1920 play R.U.R., crediting his brother Josef with the suggestion.
What does robota mean?
Forced labour, the work a serf owed a landlord under the old Central European system.