android

noun

an·​droid ˈan-ˌdrȯid How to pronounce android (audio)
: a mobile robot usually with a human form
sci-fi androids

Examples of android in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Bettany is reprising his role as the android who fell in love with the Scarlett Witch (played by Elizabeth Olsen) and then was destroyed by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. —Kirsten Chuba, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Oct. 2024 There are enough different-looking androids in the Alien universe by now that there’s no need to bring back a dead actor to play a different model of an old one. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2024 Everyone knows synthetics always spell trouble with a capital ‘T’ in an Alien movie and Alvarez’s m.o. was to play on audiences’ prejudices against such androids. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2024 While Android users generally rank their devices above Apple’s in terms of cost, android users who switch to Apple consistently rank the iPhone product and user experience higher. —Michael Khouw, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for android 

Word History

Etymology

earlier androides "automaton having a human form," borrowed from French androïde, perhaps borrowed from Late Greek androeidḗs "in the form of a man, like a man," from Greek andr-, anḗr "man, husband, human" + -oeidēs -oid entry 2 — more at andro-

Note: The word may equally well have been formed in post-medieval Latin, but evidence is lacking. An early English instance can be found in The History of Magick by way of Apology, for all the Wise Men who have unjustly been reputed Magicians (London, 1657), a translation, by "J. Davies," of Apologie pour tous les grands personnages qui ont esté faussement soupçonnez de magie (Paris, 1625) by the French librarian and scholar Gabriel Naudé (1600-53). The French word occurs earlier in Le mastigophore, ou precurseur du Zodiaque ([Paris]: 1609), a satirical work by the priest Antoine Fuzy/Fusi (1560-1629). Both authors use androïde in connection with the legendary talking automaton devised by albertus magnus, without any suggestion that the word was a neologism.

First Known Use

circa 1736, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of android was circa 1736

Dictionary Entries Near android

androgyny

android

andrology

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Android.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/android. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

android

noun
an·​droid
ˈan-ˌdrȯid
: a mobile robot with human form

Medical Definition

android

adjective
an·​droid ˈan-ˌdrȯid How to pronounce android (audio)
1
of the pelvis : having the angular form and narrow outlet typical of the human male
a disproportionate number of difficult labors occur in women with android pelvises
compare anthropoid entry 1, gynecoid, platypelloid
2
: relating to or characterized by the distribution of body fat chiefly in the abdominal region
android obesity
compare gynecoid

More from Merriam-Webster on android

Britannica English: Translation of android for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about android

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