noun
- any anthropomorphic mechanical being, as those in Karel Čapek's play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), built to do routine manual work for human beings
- any mechanical device operated automatically, esp. by remote control, to perform in a seemingly human way
- an automaton; esp., a person who acts or works mechanically and without originality
Origin:
< Czech robota, forced labor < OSlav rabota, menial labor < rabu, servant < IE base *orbho-: see orphan