From: gah4@u.washington.edu   
      
   Not from a Quora question, but one did remind me.   
      
   Which (well known) languages were mostly defined before the first   
   compiler was written? (Not counting the one you did for a homework   
   assignment.)   
      
   As well as I know it, and similar to the way IBM defined the S/360   
   architecture before five different groups started implementing it,   
   PL/I (nee NPL) was pretty much completely described before groups   
   started implementing it. There is a published IBM manual with that   
   description.   
      
   I don't count Fortran0, as I believe Knuth named an early description   
   before the first Fortran compiler was written.   
      
   It is somewhat convenient to adapt the language when you find parts   
   harder to implement than was thought. PL/I mostly didn't do that.   
   [COBOL, Algol60 and 68, Ada.  Maybe Pascal? -John]   
      
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