# code

Pronunciation: say "KOHD" US /koʊd/, UK /kəʊd/

## Noun

1. A letter, number, symbol, or combination of these that is assigned to identify or represent something, such as a product, place, or character.
   - Simple: A group of letters, numbers, or symbols used to name or stand for something, like a product, place, or key.
   - _Every shipment is tagged with a code that the system tracks automatically._
   - _The airline assigns a three-letter code to each destination._
2. Instructions for a computer written in a programming language, such as source code, machine code, or bytecode.
   - Simple: Instructions that tell a computer what to do, written in a programming language.
   - _Engineers reviewed the code before pushing it to the live server._
   - _Most of the code in this app handles user authentication._
3. A set of rules, principles, or standards that govern behavior or activity within a particular group, profession, or field, whether written down or not.
   - Simple: A set of rules about how people in a group or job should behave or do things.
   - _Doctors are bound by a professional code that puts patients first._
   - _The newsroom adopted a code governing how reporters handle sources._
4. A body of law established by legislation, in which the rules courts apply are set out in systematic form.
   - Simple: A set of laws written down and arranged in a clear order.
   - _The civil code governs contracts and property throughout the region._
   - _The judge read the relevant section of the penal code aloud to the jury._
6. A system of fixed rules by which information is turned into some other form or representation.
   - Simple: A set of rules for changing information into a different form.
   - _The telegraph relied on a code that turned letters into dots and dashes._
   - _Designers chose a code that packs each color into three numbers._
10. A system of words, letters, or symbols used in place of others to keep a message secret, or a message written in such a system, as in 'sent in code'.
   - Simple: A secret way of writing messages so others cannot read them, or a message written that way.
   - _The agents' code replaced each place name with an ordinary-sounding word drawn from a shared codebook._
   - _Breaking the enemy's code meant first capturing the codebook itself._
12. A hospital emergency that requires specially trained staff to respond immediately.
   - Simple: An emergency in a hospital that calls trained staff to help right away.
   - _The charge nurse called a code the instant the patient stopped breathing._
   - _A code sent half the floor sprinting toward the same room._
14. A particular language or language variety used by a speaker or community.
   - Simple: A particular language or way of speaking that a group of people uses.
   - _Bilingual speakers often switch from one code to another in the middle of a sentence._
   - _In formal settings she adopted a more prestigious code._

## Verb

5. To write software programs.
   - Simple: To write the instructions that tell a computer what to do.
   - _He likes to code late at night when the office is quiet._
   - _They code in several different languages at the firm._
7. To convert a message or information into a coded form.
   - Simple: To change a message into a secret form that others cannot read.
   - _Operators had to code every message before transmitting it._
   - _They code sensitive files so outsiders cannot read them._
8. To carry the genetic information that specifies a particular protein.
   - Simple: To carry the genetic instructions for making a particular protein.
   - _Many genes code for proteins that regulate metabolism._
   - _This stretch of DNA codes for hemoglobin._
11. Of a patient, to undergo a sudden life-threatening emergency such as cardiac arrest.
   - Simple: Of a sick person, to suddenly have a deadly emergency, like the heart stopping.
   - _Patients can code suddenly, even after hours of stable readings._
   - _The man in bed four coded at three in the morning._
9. To mark items in data, records, or diagnoses with codes from a set system so they can be grouped, analyzed, or billed.
   - Simple: To give things labels or numbers from a set list so they can be sorted.
   - _Researchers code the transcripts line by line._
   - _The team coded every survey answer for sentiment._
13. To call a hospital emergency code, summoning a response team to a patient in crisis.
   - Simple: To call for an emergency team in a hospital when a patient is in danger.
   - _Within seconds of the monitor alarm, the night nurse coded the patient in bed six and the team came running._
   - _New residents learn exactly when to code a patient and when to call the rapid response team instead._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–10, 12–14** — From Middle English "code" (system of law), from Old French "code," from Latin "cōdex," a later form of "caudex" (the stock or stem of a tree, and also a wax-covered wooden tablet the ancients wrote on, hence a book or writing). It is a doublet of "codex."
**Meaning 11** — From "code blue," a term for a medical emergency.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/code (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).