Science & TechnologyGreek → English
Program
/ˈproʊɡræm/
A plan of action, or a set of coded instructions for a computer.
The Greek roots
πρό
pró
before
γράμμα
grámma
something written
Literally: “a public written notice”
The story of the word
A prógramma was a notice posted in public. Centuries later the word settled naturally onto the ordered instructions that run a machine.
The same roots elsewhere
Other languages reached for exactly the same Greek pieces.
In a sentence
The program ran flawlessly on the first attempt.