Loop

/lup/ noun

A programming construct that repeatedly executes a block of code until a specified condition is met or for a predetermined number of iterations. Loops eliminate the need to write repetitive code manually.

From Middle English 'loupe' meaning a fold or circular path. In programming, adopted in the 1950s to describe the circular flow of execution where code 'loops back' to repeat. The term perfectly captures the cyclical nature of repeated execution.

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