compiler Computer program that translates the symbols of a programming language into instructions readable directly by a computer. Most programs are written in high-level languages, such as C or BASIC, which are made up of words and symbols easily comprehended by humans. A compiler takes these programs and renders them into a form that is readable by the circuits of the computer itself.

compiler A program that translates high-level language into absolute code, or sometimes into assembly language. The input to the compiler (the source code) is a description of an algorithm or program in a problem-oriented language; its output (the object code) is an equivalent description of the algorithm in a machine-oriented language.