Antedatings and Etymology of "Robot"

[Shapiro, Fred]

Correction to my last posting:  According to this authoritative-seeming website



http://capek.misto.cz/english/robot.html



the Czech word "robot" did not appear in Josef Capek's 1917 story, although Josef Capek was the one who suggested the word to his brother Karel.



Fred Shapiro







________________________________

From: Shapiro, Fred
Sent: Saturday, May 25, 2013 7:12 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Cc: jester at panix.com
Subject: Antedatings and Etymology of "Robot"

Here is a very slight antedating of "robot":

robot (OED, n.2, 10 Oct. 1922)
1922 _N.Y. Tribune_ 8 Oct. (Chronicling America)  Robots are mechanical men invented to do the work of the world.

I am not sure why the following earlier citation, posted by me on ADS-L in 2003, was not included in the OED's revised entry for "robot":


1922 _N.Y. Times_ 13 Aug. 78  According to the Czechoslovaks -- "R.U.R." is a
Czechoslovak play -- the piece departs from many dramatic traditions.  The author is Karel
Capek, and the full title is "Rosum's Universal Robots."

As I noted in 2003, the OED's etymology should probably be revised, since it refers to
Karel Capek's play "R.U.R." (1920), but not to the earlier Czech usage of "robot"
mentioned by Allan Metcalf in his book _The World In So Many Words_, namely Josef
Capek's short story "Opilec" (1917).

Fred Shapiro

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