Why php is called hypertext preprocessor?

Why is PHP called Hypertext Preprocessor?

The name "Hypertext Preprocessor" means that PHP processes hypertext (like HTML) before it’s sent to the browser.

PHP code runs on the server.

It generates HTML dynamically.

Then, it "preprocesses" the page — meaning the PHP code is executed first, and the result (usually HTML) is sent to the browser.

So it’s called a preprocessor because it processes code before delivering it to the user’s browser.