Skip to main content
script language

script language

1 6.0
A computer language used to write small programs that do tasks for you
  • noun
  • /skrɪpt ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : lenguaje de script
  • Many developers prefer to use a script language to quickly write simple programs.

Examples

  • So it's true that in the domain where your end users are accountants, it's OK and successful to have a scripting language like they have in spreadsheets.

  • Whenever I want to bash out a few web pages or interact with a database table, I go straight to a scripting language, and it's done within a few minutes.

    Blog text (30)
  • These class libraries would be written in an ordinary scripting language, not IL.

    Blog text (25)
  • I am not speaking as a senior programmer, but as one of the target audience, not yet familiar with scripting languages.

    Blog text (30)
  • I'm also going through a VM scripting language evaluation, but coming out with a different conclusion.

    Blog text (30)
  • Programming in the scripting language wouldn't be required to use the system (write PLC programs), only if you wanted to extend the system.

    Blog text (25)
  • Also, working with collections is pretty common, so having built-in dynamic-sized arrays and maps in scripting languages is a big plus.

    Blog text (30)
  • You're trying, post after post, to find good arguments as to why scripting languages in general—and JS in particular—are better suited for most, if not all, projects.

    Blog text (30)
  • Python is a popular script language that is often used for automating tasks.

  • When writing a web application, choosing the right script language can make a significant difference.

Synonyms

programming language
vsscript language
  • Specialized
15 3.9

A set of rules for writing instructions a computer can follow

is narrower, focusing on interpreted scripts that automate tasks
computer language
vsscript language
  • Specialized
2 4.1

A way of writing instructions for a computer

focuses specifically on interpreted automation rather than general computer control
scripting language
vsscript language
  • Specialized
1 4.9

A way to write small computer programs that run by themselves to do tasks

is the same idea expressed with a different phrase

Surface Forms

Morphology

script + language

The meaning is directly compositional: a 'script language' is a language used for writing 'scripts' (short programs). This noun+noun combination follows a common, cross-linguistic pattern and would be understandable to a B1 learner who already knows both constituent meanings.

Etymology

Script language comes from the idea of a script in a play, a short set of steps that tells actors what to do. A script language tells a computer the same kind of steps so the computer can do small jobs for you. That's why the name now means 'a programming language used to write short programs that make the computer do tasks'.