Where does “code” come from?

Code comes from French code, from Latin caudex meaning tree trunk or wooden tablet, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʷet- meaning to press or squeeze.

code (English): A short symbol, often with little relation to the...

Definitions

  1. A short symbol, often with little relation to the...

Ancestry of “code”, step by step

code traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English code

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishcodeAny kind of plant gum; a gummy or resinous...
2Old Englishcoddbag; sack; husk
3Proto-Germanickuddôbag; pod; sack; purse
4Proto-Indo-Europeangewt-sack; pouch; pouch, sack
5Proto-Indo-Europeangū-to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...

via French code

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchcodecode
2Old FrenchcodeAlternative form of coute; elbow; system of law
3Latincōdextree trunk; book, notebook
4LatincaudexA tree trunk, stump; A bollard; post; A book,...

Words derived from “code”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gū- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European gewt- →Every word from Proto-Germanic kuddô →