code

Where does the word "code" come from? It comes from Latin codex, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).

Code’s story begins in Latin: codex meant “a book, a tablet.” A book, originally a block of wood used as a writing tablet. It reached English by 1300s as code. Narrowed from a book of laws to any system of symbols or rules. Today, code means a system of symbols or rules used to represent information or instructions.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient codex "a book, a tablet", a book, originally a block of wood used as a writing tablet.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1300s code "a system of symbols or rules for communication or law", narrowed from a book of laws to any system of symbols or rules.