loader (OS loader)

RU: загрузчик (загрузчик ОС)

The operating-system component that reads an executable file from disk, creates a new process with its own virtual address space, copies the program's machine-code sections into memory, loads required shared libraries, sets up the call stack, sets the program counter to the program's entry point, and transfers control to the CPU. The loader runs once per program invocation, before any of the program's own code executes.