menu-driven

The term is a modern compound adjective from the field of computing, formed in the late 20th century. The first element, "menu," retains its borrowed French sense of a detailed list, originally from the Latin for something made small (minutus), referring to the itemized list of dishes or, by analogy, program commands. The second element, "driven," employs the Old English concept of being propelled or controlled, from the Proto-Germanic root drībaną. The compound logically fuses these ideas to describe an interface where user action is propelled forward by selecting from a list, contrasting with command-driven systems where users must recall and type instructions.

Structure: menu (list) + driven (operated) - menu: From French, ultimately from Latin minutus meaning "small, detailed". In this compound, it functions as a noun modifier meaning "a list of options". - driven: Past participle of the verb drive, from Old English drīfan meaning "to propel, urge forward". In this compound, it functions as an adjective meaning "powered or operated by".