compilers
|com-pil-er|
🇺🇸
/kəmˈpaɪlər/
🇬🇧
/kəmˈpaɪlə/
(compiler)
data collection
Etymology
'compiler' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'compilare', where the prefix 'com-' meant 'together' and 'compilare' originally meant 'to plunder' or 'to gather together'.
'compilare' passed into Medieval/Church Latin and Old French forms and then into Middle English (e.g. 'compiler', 'compilen'), eventually becoming the modern English word 'compiler'.
Initially it meant 'to plunder' or 'to take by force', but over time the sense shifted to 'to bring together or collect' (e.g. of writings), and in modern usage it also denotes a computer program that 'translates' source code.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural of 'compiler': a person who collects, edits, or assembles material (e.g., lists, anthologies, reports).
The compilers of the report gathered data from several studies.
Synonyms
Noun 2
plural of 'compiler' in computing: software that translates source code written in a high-level programming language into machine code or an intermediate form.
Modern compilers optimize code and generate efficient machine instructions for different processors.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/17 11:11