Robot spread through Čapek’s play R.U.R. Its Czech background is robota: compulsory, exhausting work. The name began with a social idea about labour before it became our everyday label for an automatic machine.
Karel Čapek popularized the word; he credited his brother Josef with suggesting the name.
Sources
- Merriam-Webster · robot
Dictionary word history; the component and historical references below supply additional detail.
- Online Etymology Dictionary · robot
Historical forms, meanings, and context for the route described here.