Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₃erbʰ-
Proto-Indo-European *-os
Proto-Indo-European *h₃órbʰos
Proto-Balto-Slavic *árbas
Proto-Slavic *orbъ
Proto-Indo-European *-yeti
Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti
Proto-Balto-Slavic *-éitei
Proto-Slavic *-iti
Proto-Slavic *orbiti
Proto-Indo-European *-otéh₂
Proto-Balto-Slavic *-atā́ˀ
Proto-Slavic *-ota
Proto-Slavic *orbota
Old Czech robota
Czech robota
Czech robotbor.
English robot
Borrowed from Czech robot, from robota (“drudgery, servitude”). Coined by Czech science-fiction writer and playwright Karel Čapek in 1920 in the play R.U.R. after having been suggested to him by his brother Josef. Largely displaced English automaton.
Ultimately a cognate with Middle English arveth from Old English earfoþe, and German Arbeit; see dialectal erf. Doublet of etymology 1. Related to English orphan, but with a -t- suffix from Proto-Slavic instead of the -an- from Ancient Greek.
Compare Polish robotnik and Russian работник (rabotnik, “worker”), sometimes mistakenly cited as the direct source of the English word.
This page abbreviates 3 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.
Inspect preserved source fields
Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.
{
"templates": [
{
"name": "senseno",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "Q11012"
},
"expansion": "etymology 2 sense 2"
},
{
"name": "etymid",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "R.U.R."
},
"expansion": ""
},
{
"name": "etymon",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": ":bor",
"3": "cs:robot<id:Q11012>",
"id": "Q11012",
"tree": "1"
},
"expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₃erbʰ-\nProto-Indo-European *-os\nProto-Indo-European *h₃órbʰos\nProto-Balto-Slavic *árbas\nProto-Slavic *orbъ\nProto-Indo-European *-yeti\nProto-Indo-European *-éyeti\nProto-Balto-Slavic *-éitei\nProto-Slavic *-iti\nProto-Slavic *orbiti\nProto-Indo-European *-otéh₂\nProto-Balto-Slavic *-atā́ˀ\nProto-Slavic *-ota\nProto-Slavic *orbota\nOld Czech robota\nCzech robota\nCzech robotbor.\nEnglish robot\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"Q11012\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"serfdom\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"work\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"work\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"to work\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"servant\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"servant\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"servant\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₃erbʰ-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"id\" : \"thematic\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-os\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₃órbʰos\", \"gloss\" : \"(indentured) worker, servant, slave; orphan; (originally) one who has changed in ‘ownership’ or affiliation\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Balto-Slavic\", \"term\" : \"*árbas\", \"lang\" : \"ine-bsl-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Slavic\", \"term\" : \"*orbъ\", \"lang\" : \"sla-pro\" }, { \"id\" : \"causative suffix\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"forming verbs\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-yeti\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-éyeti\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Balto-Slavic\", \"term\" : \"*-éitei\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"ine-bsl-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Slavic\", \"term\" : \"*-iti\", \"lang\" : \"sla-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Slavic\", \"term\" : \"*orbiti\", \"lang\" : \"sla-pro\" }, { \"id\" : \"abstract noun suffix\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"abstract noun suffix\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-otéh₂\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Balto-Slavic\", \"term\" : \"*-atā́ˀ\", \"lang\" : \"ine-bsl-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Slavic\", \"term\" : \"*-ota\", \"lang\" : \"sla-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Slavic\", \"term\" : \"*orbota\", \"lang\" : \"sla-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" }, { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"is_duplicate\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : { \"1\" : \"sla-pro\", \"2\" : \":af\", \"3\" : \"*orbъ<id:servant>\", \"4\" : \"*-iti<id:causative suffix>\", \"id\" : \"to work\" }, \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Slavic\", \"term\" : \"*orbiti\", \"lang\" : \"sla-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old Czech\", \"term\" : \"robiti\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"zlw-ocs\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old Czech\", \"term\" : \"-ota\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"zlw-ocs\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"By surface analysis,\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\", \"is_invisible\" : \"tree\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old Czech\", \"term\" : \"robota\", \"lang\" : \"zlw-ocs\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Czech\", \"term\" : \"robota\", \"gloss\" : \"drudgery, servitude\", \"lang\" : \"cs\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Czech\", \"term\" : \"robot\", \"lang\" : \"cs\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"robot\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"Q11012\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"robot\" id=\"English:_Q11012\">"
},
{
"name": "bor+",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "cs",
"3": "robot"
},
"expansion": "Borrowed from Czech robot"
},
{
"name": "coin",
"args": {
"1": "cs",
"2": "Karel Čapek",
"nat": "Czech",
"occ": "science-fiction writer and playwright",
"in": "1920"
},
"expansion": "Coined by Czech science-fiction writer and playwright Karel Čapek in 1920"
},
{
"name": "ncog",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "automaton"
},
"expansion": "English automaton"
},
{
"name": "cognate",
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "arveth"
},
"expansion": "Middle English arveth"
},
{
"name": "cognate",
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "earfoþe"
},
"expansion": "Old English earfoþe"
},
{
"name": "cognate",
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "Arbeit"
},
"expansion": "German Arbeit"
},
{
"name": "dbt",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "#Etymology 1",
"alt1": "etymology 1"
},
"expansion": "Doublet of etymology 1"
},
{
"name": "m+",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "orphan"
},
"expansion": "English orphan"
},
{
"name": "der",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "sla-pro",
"3": "-"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Slavic"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "grc",
"2": "-"
},
"expansion": "Ancient Greek"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "pl",
"2": "robotnik"
},
"expansion": "Polish robotnik"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "ru",
"2": "работник",
"3": "",
"4": "worker"
},
"expansion": "Russian работник (rabotnik, “worker”)"
},
{
"name": "etymon",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": ":bor",
"3": "cs:robot<id:Q11012>",
"id": "Q11012",
"tree": "1"
},
"expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₃erbʰ-\nProto-Indo-European *-os\nProto-Indo-European *h₃órbʰos\nProto-Balto-Slavic *árbas\nProto-Slavic *orbъ\nProto-Indo-European *-yeti\nProto-Indo-European *-éyeti\nProto-Balto-Slavic *-éitei\nProto-Slavic *-iti\nProto-Slavic *orbiti\nProto-Indo-European *-otéh₂\nProto-Balto-Slavic *-atā́ˀ\nProto-Slavic *-ota\nProto-Slavic *orbota\nOld Czech robota\nCzech robota\nCzech robotbor.\nEnglish robot"
}
],
"links": [
[
"*h₃erbʰ-",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₃erbʰ-"
],
[
"*-os",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-os#Proto-Indo-European:_thematic"
],
[
"*h₃órbʰos",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₃órbʰos#Proto-Indo-European:_servant"
],
[
"*árbas",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Balto-Slavic/árbas#Proto-Balto-Slavic:_servant"
],
[
"*orbъ",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/orbъ#Proto-Slavic:_servant"
],
[
"*-yeti",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-yeti#Proto-Indo-European:_forming_verbs"
],
[
"*-éyeti",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-éyeti"
],
[
"*-éitei",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Balto-Slavic/-éitei"
],
[
"*-iti",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-iti#Proto-Slavic:_causative_suffix"
],
[
"*orbiti",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/orbiti#Proto-Slavic:_to_work"
],
[
"*-otéh₂",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-otéh₂"
],
[
"*-atā́ˀ",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Balto-Slavic/-atā́ˀ#Proto-Balto-Slavic:_abstract_noun_suffix"
],
[
"*-ota",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/-ota#Proto-Slavic:_abstract_noun_suffix"
],
[
"*orbota",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/orbota#Proto-Slavic:_work"
],
[
"robota",
"robota#Old_Czech:_work"
],
[
"robota",
"robota#Czech:_serfdom"
],
[
"robot",
"robot#Czech:_Q11012"
],
[
"robot",
"robot#Czech"
],
[
"robota",
"robota#Czech"
],
[
"automaton",
"automaton#English"
],
[
"arveth",
"arveth#Middle_English"
],
[
"earfoþe",
"earfoþe#Old_English"
],
[
"Arbeit",
"Arbeit#German"
],
[
"erf",
"erf#English"
],
[
"etymology 1",
"#Etymology 1"
],
[
"orphan",
"orphan#English"
],
[
"robotnik",
"robotnik#Polish"
],
[
"работник",
"работник#Russian"
]
],
"references": [],
"descendants": [
{
"lang": "Arabic",
"lang_code": "ar",
"word": "رُوبُوت",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
],
"roman": "rūbūt"
},
{
"lang": "Arabic",
"lang_code": "ar",
"word": "رُوبُوط",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
],
"roman": "rūbūṭ"
},
{
"lang": "Bengali",
"lang_code": "bn",
"word": "রোবট",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
],
"roman": "rōboṭ"
},
{
"lang": "Hindi",
"lang_code": "hi",
"word": "रोबोट",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
],
"roman": "roboṭ"
},
{
"lang": "Japanese",
"lang_code": "ja",
"word": "ロボット",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
],
"roman": "robotto"
},
{
"lang": "Korean",
"lang_code": "ko",
"word": "로봇",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
],
"roman": "robot"
},
{
"lang": "Persian",
"lang_code": "fa",
"word": "رُبات",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
],
"roman": "robât"
},
{
"lang": "Persian",
"lang_code": "fa",
"word": "روبات",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
],
"roman": "rôbât"
},
{
"lang": "Swahili",
"lang_code": "sw",
"word": "roboti",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
]
},
{
"lang": "Tamil",
"lang_code": "ta",
"word": "ரோபோ",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
],
"roman": "rōpō"
},
{
"lang": "Welsh",
"lang_code": "cy",
"word": "robot",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
]
}
],
"lexical": [
{
"pos": "noun",
"glosses": [
"An intelligent mechanical being designed to look like a human or other creature, and usually made from metal.",
"A machine built to carry out some complex task or group of tasks by physically moving, especially one which can be programmed.",
"A bot, software designed to perform a task.",
"A person who does not seem to have any emotions or individuality."
],
"tags": [
"figuratively"
],
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"rawRecordSha256": "2ffeef46f22d8239f5fdea3a28808c34f64de8e67cc960b96b5d1a26d6a6aeee",
"sourceRecordOrdinal": 2569
}
],
"omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
"templates": 0,
"links": 0,
"references": 0,
"descendants": 0,
"lexicalRecords": 0,
"lexicalSenses": 3,
"glosses": 0
}
}