executive program
- noun
- /ɪɡˈzɛkjʊtɪv ˈprɒɡræm/
- Specialized
:
programa ejecutivo
- The operating system's executive program manages how applications run on the computer.
Examples
-
To optimize performance, the executive program prioritizes memory usage for active applications.
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In this software environment, the executive program oversees the execution of various tasks.
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Business Week consistently rates Darden's executive program as among the best two or three in the nation.
Academic text (2002)
Synonyms
32
2.3
A set of instructions that tells a computer what to do
11
4.8
A program that controls other programs and manages computer resources
1
5.6
A program that controls other programs and how they run
A program that decides which smaller programs run and when
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is compositionally built: 'executive' (relating to management/control) qualifies 'program' (software), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it means a program that manages or controls other programs. Although slightly technical, there is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift — the meaning follows normal adjective+noun composition and is cross-linguistically transparent.
Etymology
The compound noun executive program comes from the idea of an executive in a company and the word program: an executive is a manager who tells others what to do. In computers, the executive program acts like that manager by starting and managing other programs, so it means 'a program that controls other programs'.