Category: Etymology

ROBOT was introduced to the English language (and globally) by the Czech critic and playwright Karel Capek from his play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots), oddly enough a play I have heard very little about, given its significance. An odd origin giving that most words have less direct historical roots to a single historical figure. However, it does please me to know this one has come from art and not some random silicon valley type. Although Robot was widely popularized by Karel, it was actually his brother, Josef, who coined the term Robot in a short story.