android
/ˈandrɔɪd
/noun
1(In science fiction) a robot with a human appearance: [as modifier]: there were no android security guards to stop him...
- The science fiction fascination with robots and androids is the culmination of this perception of machines as being almost like one of us.
- Modern Science Fiction abounds with intelligent robots and androids, both good and bad.
- In the simplest, we have robots or androids who can think but who cannot feel joy, grief, guilt or jealousy.
2 (Android) [mass noun] (trademark) An open-source operating system used for smartphones and tablet computers: [as modifier]: I have an Android phone and I like it a lot...
- There have been 4.5 billion Android app downloads.
- So we will see lots of different people making Androids and making Android apps.
- The Android tablet hardware isn't that different so they could have something out quickly for another billion or two.
Origin
Early 18th century: from modern Latin androides, from andro- + -oid.