Compilable

/kəmˈpaɪləbəl/ adjective

Definition

Able to be compiled or gathered together into a unified whole, especially used in computing for code that can be converted into machine language.

Etymology

From compile (from Latin compilare, meaning to heap together or plunder) + -able (suffix meaning capable of). In computing, 'compilable' emerged in the mid-20th century when compilers became essential tools.

Kelly Says

The word 'compilable' reveals how modern computing borrowed old Latin vocabulary—compilare meant 'to steal' or 'plunder' originally, because Roman writers sometimes compiled others' words into books. Now it describes code that a computer can 'gather together' and convert into instructions it understands.

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