interpreted

1. 1
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of interpret.

   She interpreted the poem as a quiet meditation on loss.

   The flashing signal was interpreted as a request to land.

   Note

   One regular -ed form does double duty: she interpreted (simple past), she has interpreted (perfect), it was interpreted (passive). The passive with as is the everyday frame for reading meaning into signs and conduct. When the sense is translating between speakers, the verb needs no object: she interpreted for the delegation. The programming use of the verb, reading instructions as they come, settled into the computing adjective.

2. 2
   adjective

   Executed directly by software while it runs, rather than first being compiled into a binary program.

   Many scripting languages are interpreted rather than compiled, which makes quick testing easy.

   An interpreted script can be edited and rerun without a separate build step.

   Note

   Computing uses it as one half of a pair, interpreted versus compiled, and applies it to whole languages as readily as to a single piece of code. It names a way of running code, not a quality, so it takes no degrees: code is interpreted or it is not, never more interpreted. Outside programming the same form usually means explained or translated, so a word like language or script nearby signals the technical reading.

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