FORTRAN

n.

1.

(Computers) a higher programming language with an instruction set designed for ease of expression of mathematical functions, much used in programming of scientific and mathematical problems.

Noun

1.

FORTRAN - a high-level programing language for mathematical and scientific purposes; stands for formula translation

(language)

Fortran - (Formula Translation) The first and, for a long time, the most widely used programming language for numerical and scientific applications. The original versions lacked recursive procedures and block structure and had a line-oriented syntax in which certain columns had special significance. There have been a great many versions. The name is often written "FORTRAN", harking back to the days before computers were taught about lower case, but ANSI decreed, in about 1985 via the ANSI FORTRAN Technical Committee TC, that it should be "Fortran". See also: Fortrash.

FORmula TRANslationalgebraic language