metacode
nounUK /ˈmɛtəˌkəʊd/
US /ˈmɛtəˌkoʊd/
A special set of rules that tells a computer how to understand other rules.
The programmer wrote metacode to describe how the game's instructions should be built.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A hidden pattern or signal inside a message that tells you how to read the message.
The spy found metacode in the letter that revealed which words were the real secret.
3. In psychology, the unspoken rules people use to understand each other's behavior.
Their family had a metacode: a quiet nod meant it was time to leave.
4. A higher-level language used to describe or generate code in another language.
The tool's metacode let developers create hundreds of small programs automatically.