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Glite Dictionary
Karel Capek

Karel Capek

1 8.2
A Czech writer who brought the word robot into English
  • proper noun
  • /ˈkɛrəl ˈtʃɑːpɛk/
: Karel Čapek
  • Karel Capek is credited with bringing the word 'robot' into popular use through his play R.U.R.

Examples

  • Did you know that Karel Capek coined the word 'robot'?

  • The novels of Karel Capek explore themes of science, technology, and society.

  • Many science fiction enthusiasts regard Karel Capek as a pioneer of the genre.

  • The term Karel Capek is often associated with science fiction.

  • Karel Capek is famous for coining the term 'robot' in his play R.U.R.

  • Readers often admire Karel Capek for his innovative contributions to literature.

  • In his works, Karel Capek often examined the implications of advanced technology.

Surface Forms

Karel Capek main

Morphology

Karel + Capek

This is a proper name (personal name) with no compositional lexical meaning; knowing the constituent tokens 'Karel' and 'Capek' does not allow a B1 learner to infer the biographical fact that he was a Czech writer who introduced the word 'robot'. The sense requires encyclopedic/cultural knowledge rather than derivation from the parts, so it is opaque.

Etymology

Karel Capek is the writer who introduced the word 'robot' in his play R.U.R., using a Czech word 'robota' that meant 'forced work'. Because his play showed machines acting like people, his name is now linked to 'robots' and to modern science fiction.