interpreted

Interpreted refers to the execution model in which a program's source code is read and executed by an interpreter at run time, rather than being compiled into native machine code beforehand. In this sense, an 'interpreted language' is one for which standard implementations primarily execute code through an interpreter rather than a compiler producing standalone executables.

Many common scripting languages are considered interpreted, such as Python, Ruby, and JavaScript. These languages typically parse source code into an intermediate representation (often bytecode) and then execute it on a virtual machine. Some environments simply read and execute the source directly. In practice, the line can be blurred: JavaScript engines use just-in-time compilation to convert code to optimized machine code at runtime, while Python and other languages often compile to bytecode and then run a bytecode interpreter.

Advantages of interpretation include easier debugging, platform portability, and dynamic features such as runtime typing and reflective capabilities. Disadvantages include slower performance relative to ahead-of-time compiled code and higher memory usage in some cases. Modern interpreters frequently employ just-in-time compilation or other optimizations to mitigate performance differences.

Interpreted languages are widely used for scripting, rapid development, education, and embedded contexts, where development speed and portability are valued. The distinction between interpreted and compiled languages is historically rooted but now often blurred, with many languages supporting multiple implementation strategies.