I. ˈkōd noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin caudex, codex trunk of a tree, document formed originally from wooden tablets
Date: 14th century
1. : a systematic statement of a body of law ; especially : one given statutory force
2. : a system of principles or rules
moral code
3.
a. : a system of signals or symbols for communication
b. : a system of symbols (as letters or numbers) used to represent assigned and often secret meanings
4. : genetic code
5. : a set of instructions for a computer
• code·less -ləs adjective
II. verb
( cod·ed ; cod·ing )
Date: 1815
transitive verb
: to put in or into the form or symbols of a code
intransitive verb
: to specify the genetic code
a gene that code s for a protein
• cod·able ˈkō-də-bəl adjective
• cod·er noun