compilers

n. program which produces programs from source code in a high-level language (Computers); collector, combiner

A compiler is a  computer program (or set of programs) that translates text written in a computer language (the source language) into another computer language (the target language). The original sequence is usually called the source code and the output called object code. Commonly the output has a form suitable for processing by other programs (e.g., a linker), but it may be a human-readable text file.
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Noun
1. a person who compiles (or writes for) encyclopedias
(synonym) encyclopedist, encyclopaedist
(hypernym) writer, author
(derivation) compose, compile
2. (computer science) a program that decodes instructions written in a higher order language and produces an assembly language program
(synonym) compiling program
(hypernym) program, programme, computer program, computer programme
(hyponym) C compiler
(part-meronym) parser
(derivation) compile
(classification) computer science, computing

n. compiler

constant folding cascade single static assignment binding-time analysis static link tail recursion modulo cons abstract syntax tree dynamic link bracket abstraction peephole optimisation activation record register allocation pm2 partial evaluation register spilling register assignment Java Development Kit annotation GCC Run-Time Type Information 

<programming, tool> A program that converts another program from some source language (or programming language) to machine language (object code). Some compilers output assembly language which is then converted to machine language by a separate assembler.
A compiler is distinguished from an assembler by the fact that each input statement does not, in general, correspond to a single machine instruction or fixed sequence of instructions. A compiler may support such features as automatic allocation of variables, arbitrary arithmetic expressions, control structures such as FOR and WHILE loops, variable scope, input/ouput operations, higher-order functions and portability of source code.
AUTOCODER, written in 1952, was possibly the first primitive compiler. Laning and Zierler's compiler, written in 1953-1954, was possibly the first true working algebraic compiler.
See also byte-code compiler, native compiler, optimising compiler.
(1994-11-07)