[code] n [ME, fr. MF, fr. L caudex, codex trunk of a tree, document formed orig. from wooden tablets] (14c) 1: a systematic statement of a body of law; esp: one given statutory force
2: a system of principles or rules "moral ~" "dress ~" 3 a: a system of signals or symbols for communication b: a system of symbols (as letters, numbers, or words) used to represent assigned and often secret meanings
4: genetic code
5: a set of instructions for a computer -- code.less adj
[2]code vb cod.ed ; cod.ing vt (1815): to put in or into the form or symbols of a code ~ vi: to specify the genetic code "a gene that ~s for a protein" -- cod.able adj -- cod.er n