List of Starting Verbs in Metafont

List of Starting Verbs in Metafont

Knuth is (unsurprisingly) consistent in his literate programs. Leafing through Metafont: The Program (Book D in the Computers and Typsetting Series), I discovered that almost all the named codeblocks followed a similar grammatical structure that started with a verb. Examples include "Append the current expression to arg_list", "Back up an outer symbolic token so that it can be reread", and "Compute a compromise pen_edge". Many of these verbs get re-used, so I thought it would be neat to write them all down.

Adjust (1)

Absorb (3)

Add (12)

Adjust (7)

Advance (4)

Allocate (2)

Announce (1)

Append (1)

Ascend (1)

Assign (1)

Attach (1)

Augment (1)

Back up (1)

Calculate (6)

Change (6)

Check (12)

Choose (2)

Close (1)

Compare (1)

Compile (1)

Complain (5)

Complement (2)

Complete (5)

Comptute (17)

Construct (3)

Contribute (3)

Convert (4)

Copy (3)

Correct (1)

Create (1)

Cull (1)

Decide (1)

Declare (41)

Decrease (3)

Decry (2)

Define (1)

Delete (3)

Descend (5)

Determine (11)

Dispense (1)

Display (13)

Divide (3)

Do (6)

Double (1)

Dump (5)

Empty (1)

Ensure (1)

Exclaim (1)

Exit (5)

Expand (1)

Feed (1)

Fill (2)

Find (7)

Finish (7)

Fix (1)

Flush (2)

Get (10)

Give (1)

Grow (1)

Handle (8)

Increase (3)

Initialize (11)

Initiate (1)

Input (2)

Insert (19)

Install (2)

Interpolate (1)

Interpret (1)

Introduce (1)

Join (1)

Link (3)

Log (1)

Make (13)

Massage (2)

Merge (2)

Move (8)

Multiply (2)

Negate (1)

Normalize (1)

Output (8)

Pack (1)

Plug (2)

Pop (1)

Preface (1)

Prepare (3)

Pretend (1)

Print (24)

Process (1)

Protest (1)

Pseudoprint (2)

Push (1)

Put (9)

Read (5)

Record (5)

Recycle (4)

Reduce (5)

Reflect (2)

Remove (5)

Repeat (1)

Replace (3)

Replicate (1)

Report (3)

Return (1)

Revise (1)

Rotate (1)

Run (1)

Save (1)

Scale (3)

Scan (26)

Scold (1)

Search (1)

Send (2)

Set (16)

Shift (2)

Show (3)

Sidestep (2)

Simplify (1)

Skip (3)

Sort (1)

Splice (1)

Split (3)

Squeal (1)

Stamp (1)

Start (2)

Stash (1)

Stop (1)

Store (4)

Subdivide (10)

Substitute (2)

Subtract (1)

Supply (1)

Swap (1)

Switch (1)

Tell (1)

Terminate (1)

Trace (6)

Transfer (2)

Transform (6)

Treat (1)

Truncate (1)

Try (1)

Undump (5)

Update (1)

Use (1)

Wind (1)

Worry (1)


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