library

Definition

A collection of pre-written code, functions, and resources that programmers can use in their applications without writing everything from scratch. Libraries provide tested, reusable functionality for common programming tasks.

Etymology

From Latin 'librarium' meaning bookcase or collection of books. Just as traditional libraries house collections of books for public use, programming libraries emerged in the 1940s as collections of reusable code routines that programmers could 'check out' and use in their programs.

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