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bot¹ also bott

(bŏt)

1. The parasitic larva of a botfly.

2. bots (used with a sing. or pl. verb) A disease of mammals, especially cattle and horses, caused by infestation of the stomach or intestines with botfly larvae.

[Middle English, probably of Low German origin.]

bot²

(bŏt)

1. A software program, such as a spider, that performs automated tasks on the internet.

2. A software program that imitates the behavior of a human, as in participating in chatroom or IRC discussions.

3. Informal A robot.

[Short for ROBOT.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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