PERMANENT DISPUTE RECORD
ALL DISPUTES ↗One scholarly question. Every attached source. The present editorial state, without pretending the last word has been written.
Karel introduced and popularized it in R.U.R., but Merriam-Webster reports that his brother Josef suggested the name from robota.
/ˈroʊbɑːt/ · noun
A programmable or autonomous machine, named in English through Karel Čapek's R.U.R. from Czech robota, compulsory labor.
DIRECT CLAIM EVIDENCE
A citation is not a vote. Each record says whether the work supports, challenges, contradicts, or contextualizes the position—and identifies the exact locus used.
Credits Josef Čapek with suggesting robot and distinguishes that act from Karel Čapek’s play.
Did You Know and Word HistoryThe reviewed evidence does not yet warrant collapsing the competing or incomplete analyses into one secure answer.