I was just reading a book which said that "robot" came from a Czech word meaning "serf." I was curious whether that was true and so looked it up. Looks like it's not 100% accurate but pretty close.
Robot
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot
I was just reading a book which said that "robot" came from a Czech word meaning "serf." I was curious whether that was true and so looked it up. Looks like it's not 100% accurate but pretty close.
12 Comments
DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 1d
It's funny how we all know a robot when we see one, but it's hard to nail down in words, exactly the difference between the various machines that could fall under "robot".
sudoMakeUser@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 1d
Some even argue a dishwasher is a robot.
DarkCloud@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1d
The whole region uses similar sounding terms for work and worker. So it's probably more that, than serf.
Etymological dictionary:
https://www.etymonline.com/word/robot
rockerface@lemmy.cafe · 1 pts · 1d
Ukrainian "robota" means "work", so yeah, it's a common root.
sudoMakeUser@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 1d
I remember seeing Asimo as a kid in computer/tech books as a kid and I thought it was the coolest thing. I was pretty young so I don't know the impact it had but I guess it was probably the coolest thing in that world.
Sanctus@anarchist.nexus · 3 pts · 1d
Apparently it was also contested in spelling at one point and was sometimes seen spelt as robut. Robut. We coulda been cool.
jqubed@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1d
Like Zoidberg
ChicoSuave@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1d
Is Zoidberg pronouncing Robut/Robet like a Yiddish person or using actual Czech?
TheTechnician27@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1d
The English Wiktionary isn't the end-all, but it mentions nothing of the sort. You or who/wherever you heard this from may be confusing the spelling with the pronunciation.
Sanctus@anarchist.nexus · 4 pts · 1d
Maybe I'm confusing it with the pronunciation. Robut. We should have never stopped.
toynbee@piefed.social · 3 pts · 1d
While Lemmy can be as pedantic as any other platform, I do appreciate that it's usually at least as respectful as they are.
darkmarx@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
Robot was introduced to the english language in a play called R.U.R. It's a play about artifical humanoids taking over, ensuring human extinction. Even in the first incarnation of the idea of robots, humans didn't survive. The Matrix, Terminator, Mass Effects, and countless more sci-fi examples spell out how bad they are for humanity. Yet, we keep researching. We keep building. We keep marching forward to our own eventual demise.