bot

¹

[ bot ]

noun

1. Digital Technology. a software program that can execute commands, reply to messages, or perform routine tasks, as online searches, either automatically or with minimal human intervention (often used in combination): a customer service chatbot to answer product questions.

   a social media bot retweeting certain posts;

   a customer service chatbot to answer product questions.

2. Informal. a robot.

bot

²

or bott

[ bot ]

noun

1. the larva of a botfly ( def ).

bot

³

[ bot ]

noun

, Australian Slang.

1. a person who cadges; scrounger.

bot.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. botanical.
2. botanist.
3. botany.
4. bottle.

B.O.T.

⁵

abbreviation for

1. Board of Trade.

bot

¹

/ bɒt /

noun

1. the larva of a botfly, which typically develops inside the body of a horse, sheep, or man
2. any similar larva
3. informal.
   a mild illness in humans

bot.

²

abbreviation for

1. botanical
2. botany

bot

³

/ bɒt /

verb

1. to scrounge or borrow
2. introften foll byon to scrounge (from); impose (on)

noun

1. a scrounger
2. on the bot
   wanting to scrounge

   he's on the bot for a cigarette

bot

⁴

/ bɒt /

noun

1. computing an autonomous computer program that performs time-consuming tasks, esp on the internet

BOT

⁵

abbreviation for

1. Board of Trade

bot

/ bŏt /

1. A software program that imitates the behavior of a human, as by querying search engines or participating in chatroom discussions.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bot¹

First recorded in 1985–90; bot ¹def 2 first recorded in 1965–70; shortening of robot

Origin of bot²

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; akin to Dutch bot, Frisian dialect botten (plural); further origin unknown

Origin of bot³

First recorded in 1915–20; perhaps shortening of botfly

Word History and Origins

Origin of bot¹

C15: probably from Low German; related to Dutch bot , of obscure origin

Origin of bot²

C20: perhaps from botfly , alluding to the creature's bite; see bite (sense 12)

Origin of bot³

C20: from ( ro ) bot

Example Sentences

Dating in the swipe-left era is hard for anyone who isn’t a bot, but for singles who grew up in the pre-internet era, when “going steady” was still a thing and an app was what you ate before the entree, the challenges are compounded.

From Los Angeles Times

A celebration of Playstation's 30-year history and a reminder of the joy that gaming can bring, Astro Bot could be the game to beat this year.

From BBC

This year's Game Awards shortlist has been announced, with Astro Bot and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth picking up the most nominations.

From BBC

Incentivising users with a share of advertising revenues also gave an avenue for so-called bot farms to make money by posting auto-generated content to gain more interactions.

From BBC

Musk has said his team has repeatedly purged bot accounts.

From BBC