the.com/linker

means A program that combines compiled object files, resolves references between them, and links in libraries to produce a single executable.

from Straightforward agent noun from 'link' + '-er' — one who links. 'Link' itself traces back to Old Norse/Old English roots meaning a ring or loop of a chain, the idea being things joined together in a connected series. The computing sense emerged in the mid-20th century as programs grew too large to compile in one piece, so separately compiled chunks needed something to chain them into a working whole — the linker, doing literally what its name says.