rhizoverbBeta
DictionarycompilerCode translator
noun

compiler

kum-PY-ler/kəmˈpaɪlər/

A program that translates source code into executable or lower-level code.

The compiler turns the source code into an executable file.

A compiler shown as an active computer application: a short source-code function feeds through a software process into a separate binary executable file, which is visibly available to run.
Etymology
compilLatinto collect, compile
+erOld Frenchone who acts

A compiler originally named a person who collected writings, such as a chronicler. In the computing sense, the agent is a program, and its task is translating source code into executable machine code.

In context

The Linux Foundation36:42
break the code down into its actual like preprocessor elements like like the the actual compiler would see and then process it
Training AI To Code Using The Largest Code Dataset (Project CodeNet) - Tommy Li & Animesh Singh, IBM

More examples

  • This compiler reports an error when a semicolon is missing.
  • Different compilers can produce different machine code from the same source.
  • We use a compiler to build the application for Linux.

Forms

compiler · compilers

compile verb — Translate source code into lower-level code.

Similar words

translator
Broader term for software that converts between languages or formats.
assembler
Specifically translates assembly language into machine code.