code

code · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    (noun) A system of words, letters, figures, or symbols used to represent others for secrecy or brevity.

  2. 2.

    (noun) Instructions written in a programming language for a computer to execute.

  3. 3.

    (noun) A systematic collection of laws or rules.

  4. 4.

    (verb) To write instructions in a programming language.

  5. 5.

    (verb) To convert information into a code for secrecy.

Forms

plural: codes

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    source code — the original programming instructions
  • •
    code of ethics — moral principles governing behavior
  • •
    crack the code — to solve a difficult problem or decipher something
  • •
    dress code — rules about what clothing is acceptable
  • •
    zip code — postal code used in the United States
  • •
    area code — telephone dialing prefix for a region

Related words

See also: cipher, law, program, programming
Synonyms: cipher, program, rules, system

Etymology

From Latin codex (genitive codicis), meaning "book, document," originally referring to a trunk of a tree, then wooden tablets for writing. The sense of "system of signals" emerged in the early 19th century, and the computing sense developed in the mid-20th century.