Interpreted language is a programming language in which programs are 'indirectly' executed ("interpreted") by an interpreter program. This can be contrasted with a compiled language which is converted into machine code and then 'directly' executed by the host CPU. Theoretically, any language may be compiled or interpreted, so this designation is applied purely because of common implementation practice and not some essential property of a language. Indeed, for some programming languages, there is little performance difference between an interpretive- or compiled-based approach to their implementation.
Many languages have been implemented using both compilers and interpreters, including BASIC, C, Lisp, Pascal, and Python. While Java is translated to a form that is intended to be interpreted, just-in-time compilation is often used to generate machine code. The Microsoft .NET Framework languages always compile to Common Intermediate Language (CIL) which is then just-in-time compiled into native machine code. Many Lisp implementations can freely mix interpreted and compiled code. These implementations also use a compiler that can translate arbitrary source code at runtime to machine code.
Read more about Interpreted Language: Historical Background of Interpreted/compiled, Advantages of Interpreting A Language, Disadvantages of Interpreted Languages, List of Frequently Used Interpreted Languages
Famous quotes containing the words interpreted and/or language:
“Most observers of the French Revolution, especially the clever and noble ones, have explained it as a life-threatening and contagious illness. They have remained standing with the symptoms and have interpreted these in manifold and contrary ways. Some have regarded it as a merely local ill. The most ingenious opponents have pressed for castration. They well noticed that this alleged illness is nothing other than the crisis of beginning puberty.”
—Novalis [Friedrich Von Hardenberg] (1772–1801)
“Experiment is necessary in establishing an academy, but certain principles must apply to this business of art as to any other business which affects the artis tic sense of the community. Great art speaks a language which every intelligent person can understand. The people who call themselves modernists today speak a different language.”
—Robert Menzies (1894–1978)