Agency Dictionary

Robot

nounPronunciation: /ˈroʊ.bɑːt/

In Portuguese: Robô

Technology & AI

What does “Robot” mean?

A machine, especially one programmable by a computer, capable of carrying out a complex series of physical actions or automated computational operations autonomously or semi-autonomously.

Etymology

Borrowed from Czech robot, derived from robota, meaning drudgery or forced labor. The word reached international audiences through the 1920 play R.U.R. by Karel Čapek, who credited his brother Josef with suggesting it. English took it up in the 1920s, and it was later extended to any automated machine or software agent.

Usage note

Robot in everyday English now covers both physical machines and software agents such as chatbots and web crawlers, well beyond its original mechanical sense.

Synonyms

automaton
android

Word family

robotic
robotics
robotize

Concepts

Source editions

Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.

Creative.10 - PunkGPTAugust 14, 2023Read the edition

Words of the same theme

Buttonnoun: A physical or graphical control element that triggers an immediate action or command when pressed or clicked. In software interfaces, buttons communicate system affordances through visual boundaries and labels.
Screennoun: A flat physical display surface on an electronic device that projects visual images, interfaces, and text to a viewer. It serves as the primary visual output medium for modern personal computers and mobile phones.
Rendernoun: A finished two-dimensional image or video generated from a three-dimensional mathematical scene by computer software. It synthesizes geometric coordinates, lighting algorithms, textures, and shading into final pixels.
syntheticadjective: Produced by artificial or chemical synthesis rather than originating from natural or organic processes.
androidnoun: A robot or synthetic organism designed to possess human form, movement, or intelligent behavior.
aqueductnoun: An engineered conduit or bridge designed to convey water from distant freshwater springs into urban centers using gravity flow.
asynchronousadjective: Not occurring at the same time or coordinated simultaneously, describing workflows or interactions handled independently across time.
binaryadjective: Relating to or composed of two things, specifically a computational numbering system using base two digits.
Compassnoun: A navigational instrument equipped with a magnetized needle indicating magnetic north and other cardinal directions. Metaphorically, it designates an ethical principle or core belief providing personal guidance.
Consolenoun: A text-based command interface inside computer software where system operators and players enter manual code commands. In video games, opening the console allows users to modify internal variables and enter cheats.

Also from these editions: terms

Assistantnoun: A person or computational software program that provides aid, support, or automated services to facilitate work and handle routine tasks.
Databasenoun: A structured, organized collection of digitized data stored electronically in a computer system and accessible through various retrieval and querying mechanisms.
Failurenoun: The state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, performance standard, or operational expectation.
Fictionnoun: Literature in the form of prose, especially novels and short stories, that describes imaginary events, characters, and scenarios not strictly based on historical facts.
Generativeadjective: Having the power, capability, or functional property of originating, producing, generating, or synthesizing new content, information, or biological life.
Interviewnoun: A structured conversation where one participant asks questions and the other provides answers, conducted for journalistic publication, academic research, or employment assessment.
Ironynoun: The expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect. Also, a state of affairs that is contrary to what one expects.
Patronnoun: A person who gives financial or other support to a person, organization, cause, or activity, especially in the arts, literature, and intellectual scholarship.
Poemnoun: A piece of writing that partakes of the nature of both speech and song that is nearly always rhythmical, usually metaphorical, and often exhibits formal elements such as meter and rhyme.
Prejudicenoun: A preconceived opinion or unfavorable judgment that is not based on actual reason, knowledge, or direct experience, often directed against particular groups, ideas, or practices.
Talentnoun: Natural aptitude, exceptional skill, or superior innate capacity for a specific craft, artistic expression, intellectual inquiry, or physical performance.