Object File

Definitions

1. The intermediate binary output produced by a compiler (typically with a `.o` or `.obj` extension) that contains machine code, symbol tables, and relocation information for a single translation unit, but has unresolved external references that the linker must fix up to produce a final executable or library.

   In plain English: A half-finished machine code file produced by the compiler that still needs to be combined with other files before it can actually run.

   Example: "The linker is failing because the object file for main.c references a symbol that doesn't exist in any of the other .o files."

Related Terms

• Formal Grammar
• JIT Compiler
• Loop Unrolling
• Parse Tree
• Parser Generator
• Stack Machine
• Undefined Behavior
• Unrolling