(3GL, "high level language") A language designed to be easier for a human to understand, including things like named variables.A fragment might belet c = c + 2 * dFortran, ALGOL and COBOL are early examples of this sort of language.Most "modern" languages (BASIC, C, C++) are third generation.Most 3GLs support structured programming.See also second generation language, {fourth generation language}.(1996-05-30)