What is a defined characteristic of a compiled language?

A defined characteristic of a compiled language is that it converts source code into machine language before running. This process occurs through a compiler, which translates the high-level code (written by the programmer) into machine code that the computer's processor can execute directly. This pre-execution compilation results in enhanced performance during runtime since the code is already in a form that the machine can understand.

Compiled languages often result in faster execution times compared to interpreted languages, where the source code is translated on the fly during execution. This characteristic makes compiled languages ideal for performance-critical applications. While the other choices describe aspects related to programming languages, they do not specifically highlight the distinguishing feature of compiled languages as effectively as the correct option.