robo-call n. an automated (telemarketing) phone call. Editorial Note: Robo, from robot, is a long-standing prefix used to indicate automation or mechanization. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In 1971, when a new public library opened in Troy, Michigan, famous authors and artists were invited to write letters to the city’s youngest readers, extolling the many benefits of libraries. One of the loveliest was from E.B. White, author of...
Carl in Newport Beach, California, wonders why the prefix be- functions so differently in the words behead and befriend. Also, why do the words decapitated and beheaded have different prefixes? And what the be-doing there in bemoan and belabor? Like...
There’s also “robo-caller,” which dates to 1993 on the Usenet archive: news.admin.misc, 9/23/93, “I don’t recall any robo-caller owner complaining about Freedom of Speech.”
Nice. Thanks, Ben.
And let’s not forget about the verb! From comp.org.eff.talk, 4/13/91: “Last time I got robocalled, the discussion went something like: ‘Would you like blah blah blah insurance information blah blah blah sent to you no fee no obligation blah blah blah…?’”
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