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

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

As McMahon observed, the sheer volume of materials the bots draw from and the synthesizing process make it unlikely that any answer will replicate any specific content exactly.

From Los Angeles Times

Shopping online is just as disheartening, they lamented, because of bots programmed to hoover up products the instant they’re available.

From Los Angeles Times

The AI bots, they found, consistently got it wrong.

From Los Angeles Times

Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, said the creation of the bots was a "sickening action that will cause further heartache to everyone who knew and loved Molly".

From BBC