Code CODE, n.
1. A collection of the laws and constitutions of the Roman emperors, made by order of Justinian, containing twelve books. The name is also given to other collections of Roman laws; as the Theodosian code. Hence in general,
2. Any collection or digest of laws.

code n 1: a set of rules or principles or laws (especially written ones) [syn: code, codification] 2: a coding system used for transmitting messages requiring brevity or secrecy 3: (computer science) the symbolic arrangement of data or instructions in a computer program or the set of such instructions [syn: code, computer code] v 1: attach a code to; "Code the pieces with numbers so that you can identify them later" 2: convert ordinary language into code; "We should encode the message for security reasons" [syn: code, encipher, cipher, cypher, encrypt, inscribe, write in code]

code coed deco oecd

code 1303, from O.Fr. code "system of laws," from L. codex, earlier caudex "book, book of laws," lit. "tree trunk," hence, wooden tablet for writing. The sense in "secret code" is 1808. Codify first attested c.1800.

code I. 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 • codeless adjective II. verb (coded; coding) 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 codes for a protein> • codable adjective • coder noun

code
n. & v.
--n.
1 a system of words, letters, figures, or symbols, used to represent others for secrecy or brevity.
2 a system of prearranged signals, esp. used to ensure secrecy in transmitting messages.
3 Computing a piece of program text.
4 a a systematic collection of statutes, a body of laws so arranged as to avoid inconsistency and overlapping. b a set of rules on any subject.
5 a the prevailing morality of a society or class (code of honour). b a person's standard of moral behaviour.
--v.tr. put (a message, program, etc.) into code.
Phrases and idioms:
code-book a list of symbols etc. used in a code. code-name (or -number) a word or symbol (or number) used for secrecy or convenience instead of the usual name.
Derivatives:
coder n.
Etymology: ME f. OF f. L CODEX

code (codes, coding, coded) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. A code is a set of rules about how people should behave or about how something must be done. ...Article 159 of the Turkish penal code. ...local building codes. N-COUNT: oft n N, N of n 2. A code is a system of replacing the words in a message with other words or symbols, so that nobody can understand it unless they know the system. They used elaborate secret codes, as when the names of trees stood for letters... If you can't remember your number, write it in code in a diary. N-COUNT: also in N 3. A code is a group of numbers or letters which is used to identify something, such as a postal address or part of a telephone system. Callers dialing the wrong area code will not get through. N-COUNT 4. A code is any system of signs or symbols that has a meaning. It will need different microchips to reconvert the digital code back into normal TV signals. N-COUNT 5. The genetic code of a person, animal or plant is the information contained in DNA which determines the structure and function of cells, and the inherited characteristics of all living things. Scientists provided the key to understanding the genetic code that determines every bodily feature. N-COUNT: with supp, V n 6. To code something means to give it a code or to mark it with its code. He devised a way of coding every statement uniquely... VERB: V n 7. Computer code is a system or language for expressing information and instructions in a form which can be understood by a computer. (COMPUTING) N-UNCOUNT 8. see also bar code, Highway Code, machine code, morse code, postcode, zip code

code kəud n. & v. --n. 1 a system of words, letters, figures, or symbols, used to represent others for secrecy or brevity. 2 a system of prearranged signals, esp. used to ensure secrecy in transmitting messages. 3 Computing a piece of program text. 4 a a systematic collection of statutes, a body of laws so arranged as to avoid inconsistency and overlapping. b a set of rules on any subject. 5 a the prevailing morality of a society or class (code of honour). b a person's standard of moral behaviour. --v.tr. put (a message, program, etc.) into code. øcode-book a list of symbols etc. used in a code. code-name (or -number) a word or symbol (or number) used for secrecy or convenience instead of the usual name. øøcoder n. [ME f. OF f. L CODEX]

CODE Client/server Open Development Environment (Powersoft)

CODE COlor Depth Enhancement (ATI)

Code \Code\ (k[=o]d), n. [F., fr. L. codex, caudex, the stock or stem of a tree, a board or tablet of wood smeared over with wax, on which the ancients originally wrote; hence, a book, a writing.] 1. A body of law, sanctioned by legislation, in which the rules of law to be specifically applied by the courts are set forth in systematic form; a compilation of laws by public authority; a digest. Note: The collection of laws made by the order of Justinian is sometimes called, by way of eminence. ``The Code'' --Wharton. 2. Any system of rules or regulations relating to one subject; as, the medical code, a system of rules for the regulation of the professional conduct of physicians; the naval code, a system of rules for making communications at sea means of signals. Code civil or Code Napoleon, a code enacted in France in 1803 and 1804, embodying the law of rights of persons and of property generally. --Abbot.

code n. The stuff that software writers write, either in source form or after translation by a compiler or assembler. Often used in opposition to "data", which is the stuff that code operates on. This is a mass noun, as in "How much code does it take to do a bubble sort?", or "The code is loaded at the high end of RAM." Anyone referring to software as "the software codes" is probably a newbie or a suit.

code n. Digest, collection of laws.

code kəud n. 1 law(s), regulation(s), rule(s), jurisprudence, jus canonicum 'canon law', jus civile 'civil law', jus divinum 'divine law', jus gentium 'universal law', jus naturale 'natural law', corpus juris, pandect, lex non scripta 'common law, unwritten law', lex scripta 'statute law': In the present code there is no statute that forbids keeping a pet gnu. 2 cipher or cypher, cryptogram: Our agents send all their messages in code. 3 system, practice(s), convention(s), standard(s), criterion (criteria), principle(s), rule(s), maxim(s), custom(s), pattern(s), structure, tradition(s), organization, protocol, orthodoxy: Our code of behaviour is completely foreign to the islanders. --v. 4 encode, encipher or encypher, encrypt: It took an hour to code the information.

158 Moby Thesaurus words for "code": Aesopian language, Babel, Code Napoleon, Greek, Napoleonic code, Procrustean law, TelAutography, Teletype, Teletype network, Teletyping, Ten Commandments, Zeitgeist, argot, axiology, babble, behavioral norm, body of law, business ethics, canon, cant, capitulary, census, cipher, closed-circuit telegraphy, code of ethics, code of laws, code of morals, coded message, codification, commandment, convention, conventions, corpus juris, criterion, cryptoanalysis, cryptoanalytics, cryptogram, cryptograph, cryptographer, cryptography, customs, cypher, decalogue, dictum, digest, digest of law, double Dutch, duplex telegraphy, electricity, encipher, encode, encrypt, equity, ethic, ethical system, ethics, ethos, facsimile telegraph, form, formality, formula, formulary, garble, general principle, gibberish, gift of tongues, glossolalia, gobbledygook, golden rule, guideline, guiding principle, imperative, index, interrupter, inventory, invisible ink, jargon, jumble, jurisprudence, key, law, law of nature, laws, legal ethics, maxim, medical ethics, mitzvah, moral, moral climate, moral code, moral principles, morals, multiplex telegraphy, new morality, news ticker, noise, norm, norma, normative system, order of nature, ordinance, organization, orthodoxy, pandect, penal code, practices, prescribed form, prescription, principium, principle, principles, professional ethics, protocol, quadruplex telegraphy, railroad telegraphy, receiver, regulation, regulations, rubric, rule, scramble, secret language, secret writing, sender, set form, settled principle, simplex telegraphy, single-current telegraphy, slang, social ethics, sounder, standard, standards, standing order, stock ticker, structure, submarine telegraphy, sympathetic ink, system, table, table of organization, telegraphics, telegraphy, teleprinter, teletypewriter, teletypewriting, telex, tenet, ticker, traditions, transmitter, typotelegraph, typotelegraphy, universal law, value system, wire service, working principle, working rule

look up a word or phrase