compile

See also: compilé

English

Etymology

From Middle English compilen, from Old French compiler, from Latin compīlō (“to plunder”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /kəmˈpaɪl/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /kəmˈpɑɪl/
• Rhymes: -aɪl

Verb

compile (third-person singular simple present compiles, present participle compiling, simple past and past participle compiled)

1. (transitive) To make by gathering pieces from various sources.

   Samuel Johnson compiled one of the most influential dictionaries of the English language.

   • 2025 October 15, Vitali Vitaliev, “The recipe for Swiss bliss”, in RAIL, number 1046, page 68:

     So what is it that makes SBB (Swiss national railways) tick? In my humble opinion, two things. Firstly, a comprehensive and set-in-stone integrated timetable (incorporating trains, ferries, cable cars and buses, including the world-famous yellow 'post-autos'), compiled four years in advance and which gets tested twice before it becomes operational.

2. (obsolete) To construct; to build.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto III”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     Before that Merlin dyde, he did intend / A brasen wall in compas to compyle / About Cairmardin […]

3. (transitive, snooker) To achieve (a break) by making a sequence of shots.

   Steve Davis compiled a 147.

4. (transitive, programming) To use a compiler to process source code and produce executable code.

   After I compile this program I’ll run it and see if it works.

5. (intransitive, programming) To be successfully processed by a compiler into executable code.

   There must be an error in my source code because it won’t compile.

6. (obsolete, transitive) To contain or comprise.
   • 1595, Edmunde Spenser [i.e., Edmund Spenser], “[Amoretti.] Sonnet LXXX”, in Amoretti and Epithalamion. […], London: […] [Peter Short] for William Ponsonby, →OCLC, signature F, verso:

     After ſo long a race as I haue run / Through Faery land, vvhich thoſe ſix books cõpile [compile] / giue leaue to reſt me being halfe fordonne, / and gather to my ſelfe nevv breath avvhile.

7. (obsolete) To write; to compose.
   • 1690, William Temple, Miscellanea. The Second Part. […], London: […] T. M. for Ri[chard] and Ra[lph] Simpson, […], →OCLC, section II, page 188:

     They are at their leisure much given to poetry; in which they compile the praises of virtuous men and actions , satires against vice

Hyponyms

• cross-compile
• transcompile

Derived terms

• autocompile
• compilability
• compilable
• compiland
• compilation
• compilement
• compiler, compilator
• decompile
• miscompile
• noncompiled
• noncompiling
• precompile
• recompile
• uncompile
• uncompiled

Translations

assemble from a collection — see also compilate,‎ curate

• Arabic: تجميع (ar)
• Bulgarian: съби́рам (bg) (sǎbíram), съставям (bg) (sǎstavjam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 編撰 (zh) (biānzhuàn), 彙編 / 汇编 (zh) (huìbiān)

• Danish: kompilere
• Dutch: samenstellen (nl)
• Esperanto: kompili (eo)
• Finnish: koota (fi), koostaa (fi)
• French: compiler (fr)
• German: zusammenstellen (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: συντάσσω (suntássō)

• Hungarian: összeállít (hu), fordít (hu)
• Irish: tiomsaigh
• Italian: compilare (it), assemblare (it), predisporre (it), raccogliere (it)
• Japanese: 編集する (ja) (へんしゅうする, henshū suru)
• Māori: whakahiato
• Norwegian: kompilere; sette sammen; samle; utarbeide
• Persian: فراهمیستن, ترجمیستن
• Polish: kompilować (pl) impf, skompilować pf
• Portuguese: compilar (pt)
• Romanian: alcătui (ro) (dintr-o colecție), compila (ro)
• Russian: собира́ть (ru) impf (sobirátʹ), собра́ть (ru) pf (sobrátʹ), составля́ть (ru) impf (sostavljátʹ), соста́вить (ru) pf (sostávitʹ)
• Spanish: copilar (es), recopilar (es), compilar (es)
• Swedish: sammanställa (sv), kompilera (sv)
• Turkish: derlemek (tr)

produce executable — see also compilate

• Bulgarian: компилирам (bg) (kompiliram)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 編譯 / 编译 (zh) (biānyì)

• Czech: přeložit (cs), kompilovat
• Dutch: compileren (nl)
• Finnish: kääntää (fi)
• French: compiler (fr)
• German: kompilieren (de)
• Greek: μεταγλωττίζω (el) (metaglottízo)
• Hebrew: קימפל (kimpél)
• Irish: tiomsaigh
• Italian: compilare (it)
• Japanese: コンパイルする (ja) (konpairu suru)
• Malagasy: mandika (mg)
• Persian: ترجمیستن
• Polish: kompilować (pl) impf, skompilować pf
• Portuguese: compilar (pt)
• Romanian: compila (ro)
• Russian: компили́ровать (ru) impf (kompilírovatʹ), скомпили́ровать (ru) pf (skompilírovatʹ), откомпили́ровать (ru) pf (otkompilírovatʹ), собирать (ru) impf (sobiratʹ), собрать (ru) pf (sobratʹ)
• Spanish: compilar (es)
• Swedish: kompilera (sv)
• Turkish: derlemek (tr)

be successfully processed by a compiler

• Finnish: kääntyä (fi)
• Greek: μεταγλωττίζομαι (el) (metaglottízomai)
• Hebrew: הִתְקַמְפֵּל (hitkampél)
• Italian: compilarsi
• Polish: kompilować się impf, skompilować się pf
• Russian: компили́роваться (ru) impf (kompilírovatʹsja), скомпили́роваться (ru) pf (skompilírovatʹsja)
• Swedish: kompilera (sv)

Noun

compile (plural compiles)

1. (programming) An act of compiling code.
   • 1985, Robert A Stern, An Introduction to Computers and Information Processing:

     […] programming team managers assumed the "improved programs" produced through structured programming would not require as many compiles during development.

   • 2007, Scott Meyers, Mike Lee, MAC OS X Leopard: Beyond the Manual:

     Any file with an error or warning on it will be added to this smart group until the next compile.

Derived terms

• compile time

Anagrams

• polemic

French

Pronunciation

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

Verb

compile

1. inflection of compiler:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Galician

Verb

compile

1. inflection of compilar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Portuguese

Verb

compile

1. inflection of compilar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Spanish

Verb

compile

1. inflection of compilar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative