International Code

American  

noun

1. a code used at sea by the navies of certain nations, using a series of flags representing digits from zero through nine.

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Etymology

Origin of International Code

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

It was a bottom-up process, messily divided between three distinct code-making organizations until the 1990s, when the International Code Council was created.

From Slate • Feb. 28, 2025

The SuperAdobe has International Code Conference approval as a form of adobe architecture, and the organization is working on getting the structures International Residential Code approval next.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2025

In June, the International Code Council and the Modular Building Institute announced a national initiative focused on the adoption of standards for off-site construction.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 17, 2023

The report's authors and several external experts said it was time to reform the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes.

From Reuters • Feb. 22, 2022

The use of bells is required, by the International Code, on ships of all nations, at regular intervals during fog.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 470, January 3, 1885 by Various