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Glite Dictionary
command language

command language

7.5
Written instructions that tell a computer what tasks to do
  • noun
  • /kəˈmænd ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : lenguaje de comandos
  • He wrote a script using a command language that instructed the robot on how to navigate the maze.
  • using command language

Examples

  • The results were in a type of command language code that was unintelligible to Jason.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • The Karel command language allows the user to perform many robot operations directly on the controller keypad.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The software requires users to learn a specific command language to automate tasks efficiently.

  • In advanced programming courses, students often practice their skills by writing code in a command language.

Synonyms

computer language
vscommand language
  • Specialized
2 4.1

A way of writing instructions for a computer

is narrower and limited to sets of direct procedural instructions for particular functions
scripting language
vscommand language
  • Specialized
1 4.9

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

is focused on explicit procedural instructions rather than general automation
job-control language
vscommand language
  • Specialized
8.2

A set of computer commands that tell an operating system which tasks to run

is broader and applies to many system tasks beyond operating system scheduling

Antonyms

natural language
  • Specialized
2 3.5

A system people use to speak and write to each other rather than computer code

Surface Forms

command language singular
command languages plural

Morphology

command + language

The noun is directly compositional: 'command' (directive/instruction) + 'language' (system of communication) yields a system made up of commands. A B1 learner who knows both words can reasonably infer it refers to a (typically technical) set of commands used to communicate with a computer, so the meaning is transparently derived from the constituents.

Etymology

The noun command language comes from the idea of giving quick orders: imagine a leader shouting commands that others must follow. A command language is a set of short instructions you give to a computer, so that image of giving orders explains why it means 'a language of commands to control a computer'.