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Origin and history of compile

compile(v.)

"to collect and present information from authentic sources, to make or form by putting together in some order written or printed material from various sources," early 14c., from Old French compiler "compile, collect" (13c.) and directly from a Medieval Latin special use of Latin compilare "to plunder, rob," probably originally "bundle together, heap up;" hence "to pack up and carry off," from com "with, together" (see com-) + pilare "to compress, ram down." Related: Compiled; compiling.

also from early 14c.

Entries linking to compile

compilation(n.)

mid-15c., "that which is compiled," also "action of compiling, act of bringing together and adapting things said or written by different persons for the exposition of a subject," from Old French compilacion "compilation, collection," from Latin compilationem (nominative compilatio) "a compilation," literally "a pillaging," noun of action from past-participle stem of compilare (see compile).

compiler(n.)

mid-14c., "a chronicler, one who makes a compilation," from Anglo-French compilour, Old French compileur "author, chronicler," from Latin compilatorem, agent noun from compilare (see compile). Another form of the word current in Middle and early Modern English was compilator "a plagiarist; a compiler" (c. 1400), directly from Latin.

com-

word-forming element usually meaning "with, together," from Latin com, archaic form of classical Latin cum "together, together with, in combination," from PIE *kom- "beside, near, by, with" (compare Old English ge-, German ge-). The prefix in Latin sometimes was used as an intensive.

Before vowels and aspirates, it is reduced to co-; before -g-, it is assimilated to cog- or con-; before -l-, assimilated to col-; before -r-, assimilated to cor-; before -c-, -d-, -j-, -n-, -q-, -s-, -t-, and -v-, it is assimilated to con-, which was so frequent that it often was used as the normal form.

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    compose
    c. 1400, compousen, "to write" (a book), from Old French composer "put together, compound; adjust, arrange; write" a work (12c.), from com- "with, together" (see com-) + poser "to place," from Late Latin pausare "to cease, lay down" (see pause (n.)). Meaning influenced in Old Fre
    collect
    early 15c., "gather into one place or group" (transitive), from Old French collecter "to collect" (late 14c.), from Latin collectus, past participle of colligere "gather together," from assimilated form of com "together" (see com-) + legere "to gather," from PIE root *leg- (1) "t
    hoard
    Old English hord "a treasure, valuable stock or store, an accumulation of something for preservation or future use," hence "any mass of things preserved by being deposited together," from Proto-Germanic *huzdam (source also of Old Saxon hord "treasure, hidden or inmost place," Ol
    redact
    late 14c., redacten, "combine in a unity;" c. 1400, "compile, arrange" (laws, codes, etc.); early 15c., "bring into organized...
    able
    "having sufficient power or means," early 14c., from Old French (h)able "capable; fitting, suitable; agile, nimble" (14c.), from Latin habilem, habilis "easily handled, apt," verbal adjective from habere "to hold" (from PIE root *ghabh- "to give or receive"). "Easy to be held," h
    bale
    "large bundle or package of merchandise prepared for transportation," early 14c., from Old French bale "rolled-up bundle" (13c., Modern French balle), from Frankish or some other Germanic source (such as Old High German balla "ball"), from Proto-Germanic *ball- (from PIE root *bh
    scratch
    c. 1400, scracchen, transitive, "mark or wound slightly on the surface by a scraping or tearing action with something rough, sharp, or pointed," probably a fusion of Middle English scratten and crachen, both meaning "to scratch," both of uncertain origin. Also compare scr-. Relat
    make
    Old English macian "to give being to, give form or character to, bring into existence; construct, do, be the author of, produce; prepare, arrange, cause; behave, fare, transform," from West Germanic *makōjanan "to fashion, fit" (source also of Old Saxon makon, Old Frisian makia "
    scrape
    early 13c., scrapen, "make erasures (with a knife), erase" (a sense now obsolete); by late 14c. as "to remove (an outer layer) with a sharp or rough instrument," probably in part from Old Norse skrapa "to scrape, erase" and in part from cognate Old English scrapian "to scrape," b
    catalogue
    "a list of separate items, an itemized enumeration," usually in order and with some description, early 15c., cathaloge, from Old French catalogue "list, index" (14c.), and directly from Late Latin catalogus, from Greek katalogos "a list, register, enrollment" (such as the katalog

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