FORTRAN is
FORTRAN is Formula Translation.
Fortran formerly FORTRAN, derived from Formula Translation) is a general-purpose, compiled imperative programming language that is especially suited to numeric computation and scientific computing.
FORmula TRANslation. Early high-level computer language designed specifically for writing programs involving mathematical and scientific computations, it provided the basis for BASIC and other languages. Its newer version (Fortran 2000) is an ISO-standard language for advanced applications such as parallel computing.
FORTRAN (FORmula TRANslation) is a third-generation ( 3GL ) programming language that was designed for use by engineers, mathematicians, and other users and creators of scientific algorithms. It has a very succinct and spartan syntax.