macro
n. countablen. a single instruction that tells a computer to perform a long series of steps automatically. You use these to save time when doing repetitive tasks in software like spreadsheets.
n. a single instruction that expands automatically into a set of instructions to perform a particular task. Frequently used in spreadsheet software and programming environments to automate repetitive sequences of operations.
I wrote a simple macro to format the data automatically.
The accountant created a macro to pull data from multiple sheets and generate a monthly summary report with one click.
Advanced users often rely on complex macros to handle data cleaning tasks that would otherwise require hours of manual entry, though these scripts must be carefully audited for security risks.
1933, from macro-, from French, from Latin, from Ancient Greek μακρός (makrós, “long”).
Attested 1959, shortened from macroinstruction.
Commonly used in computing and gaming contexts; often takes the verb 'run', 'execute', or 'create'.