codex

[ koh-deks ]

/ ˈkoʊ dɛks /

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noun, plural co·di·ces

[koh-duh-seez, kod-uh-]. /ˈkoʊ dəˌsiz, ˈkɒd ə-/.

a quire of manuscript pages held together by stitching: the earliest form of book, replacing the scrolls and wax tablets of earlier times.

a manuscript volume, usually of an ancient classic or the Scriptures.

Archaic. a code; book of statutes.

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Origin of codex

1575–85; <Latin cōdex, caudex tree-trunk, book (formed originally from wooden tablets); cf. code

Words nearby codex

Co Derry, code-sharing, code-switching, codetermination, code word, codex, Codex Juris Canonici, codfish, codger, codices, codicil

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use codex in a sentence

A 50-page codex of colorful, complex pictograms that dates to the early 16th century includes the most complete — and one of the oldest — written chronologies of early earthquakes in the Americas.
This pictogram is one of the oldest known accounts of earthquakes in the Americas|Carolyn Gramling|September 7, 2021|Science News
Other codices may contain more clues, the researchers say, which could help create a more complete chronology of the quakes that shook this ancient world.
This pictogram is one of the oldest known accounts of earthquakes in the Americas|Carolyn Gramling|September 7, 2021|Science News
The codex worked a revolution in human communication, and the human understanding of the text was never the same.
Where's the Bailout for Publishing?|Stephen L. Carter|March 17, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Absent the codex, ideas would still be the province of a privileged priesthood.
Where's the Bailout for Publishing?|Stephen L. Carter|March 17, 2009|DAILY BEAST

The Madrid Library possesses a codex written in the latter part of the 15th century, containing the seventeen books.
The Geography of Strabo, Volume III (of 3)|Strabo
This is the principal codex existing in the Imperial Library, and was written in the 12th century.
The Geography of Strabo, Volume III (of 3)|Strabo
This codex contains the first nine books; the second part, containing the last eight, is lost.
The Geography of Strabo, Volume III (of 3)|Strabo
This pyramid was completed in 1467, but, according to the Codex Chimalpopoca, fell as soon as finished.
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume 5|Hubert Howe Bancroft
A second edition of the Codex juris, “revised and improved, with large additions by the author,” was published at Oxford in 1761.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 8|Various

British Dictionary definitions for codex

codex

/ (ˈkəʊdɛks) /

noun plural codices (ˈkəʊdɪˌsiːz, ˈkɒdɪ-)

a volume, in book form, of manuscripts of an ancient text

obsolete a legal code

Word Origin for codex

C16: from Latin: tree trunk, wooden block, book

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

codex

Origin of codex

Words nearby codex

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How to use codex in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for codex

Word Origin for codex