(I was encouraged to ask this question here.) In C, we say: GCC compiles foo.c. For interpreters (such as Lua), what is the equivalent verb? The Lua interpreter ____ foo.lua. When I write instructions for users of my Lua script, I often say: Run the interpreter on foo.lua. I think this can be said more succinctly: Interpret (or Translate) foo.lua. but that sounds awkward for some reason (perhaps because I'm unsure of its correctness). I can't really say compile because users may confuse it with the usage of the Lua compiler when I actually mean the Lua interpreter.