programmé

Programmé is a French term formed as the masculine singular past participle of the verb programmer. It functions as an adjective meaning “programmed” or “scheduled,” and it can describe a device, process, or plan that has been loaded with a program or arranged to operate in a specific way. In everyday usage it also denotes events or actions that have been arranged in advance, as in la diffusion est programmée pour demain (the broadcast is scheduled for tomorrow). The feminine form is programmée, and the plural forms are programmés (masculine) and programmées (feminine).

Etymology and related terms: programme comes from Late Latin programma, itself from Greek programma, originally meaning a written public notice or outline of actions. The noun programmation refers to the act or discipline of programming. In English, cognates include programmed and programme (British spelling). In French, there is a distinction between programmer (to program), programmation (the act of programming), and programmé (the result of having been programmed).

Usage and nuance: programmé typically indicates that something already has a program loaded or a schedule set, contrasted with programmable, meaning capable of being programmed, or with programmation, the ongoing activity of programming. It can apply to software, hardware, or planned events. Examples include a preprogrammed device, a scheduled broadcast, or a system that has been programmed to execute certain tasks.

See also: Programmation, Programmable, Programme.