definitions

encode

[ en-kohd ]
/ ɛnˈkoʊd /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR encode ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), en·cod·ed, en·cod·ing.

to convert (a message, information, etc.) into code.

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RELATED WORDS

conceal, cipher, cryptograph

Nearby words

enclosed, enclosed order, enclosure, enclosure act, enclothe, encode, encoding, encoignure, encolpion, encomiast, encomienda

Origin of encode

First recorded in 1930–35; en-1 + code
Related formsen·cod·a·ble, adjectiveen·code·ment, nounen·cod·er, nounmis·en·code, verb (used with object), mis·en·cod·ed, mis·en·cod·ing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for encoding

British Dictionary definitions for encoding

encode

/ (ɪnˈkəʊd) /

verb (tr)

to convert (a message) from plain text into code
computing to convert (characters and symbols) into a digital form as a series of impulsesCompare decode (def. 2)
to convert (an electrical signal) into a form suitable for transmission
to convert (a nerve signal) into a form that can be received by the brain
to use (a word, phrase, etc, esp of a foreign language) in the construction appropriate to it in that language
Derived Formsencodement, nounencoder, noun
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

Word Origin and History for encoding

encode

v.

1919, from en- (1) "make, put in" + code. Computing sense is from 1955, usually shortened colloquially to code. Related: Encoded; encoding.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for encoding

encoding

[ ĕn-kō′dĭng ]

n.

The first of three stages in the memory process, involving processes associated with receiving or registering stimuli through one or more of the senses and modifying that information.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for encoding

encode

[ ĕn-kōd′ ]

To specify the genetic code for the synthesis of a protein molecule or a part of a protein molecule.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.