student asking question

What's the origin of the word "robot"? Does it also originate from Latin or Greek words like many other English words?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Good question! It does originate from another word, but not one that is Latin or Greek in origin. The word "robot" was created by a Czech playwright and writer named Karel Čapek for his 1920 play, called "Rossum’s Universal Robots." It originated from the word "robota," which in Old Czech means “servitude,” “forced labor” or “drudgery." The creation of the word "robot" makes sense, considering the origins of the word!

Popular Q&As

03/28

Complete the expression with a quiz!