Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “codeword” come from?

Codeword derives from English code and English word, ultimately tracing through Latin caudex, meaning tree trunk or wooden tablet, to Proto-Indo-European roots gʷet- and gū-.

codeword (English): A string representing an encoded piece of text; A...

Definitions

  1. A string representing an encoded piece of text; A...

Ancestry of “codeword”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcodeA short symbol, often with little relation to the...
2EnglishbytecodeP-code
3EnglishbyteA short sequence of bits that can be operated on...
4EnglishbiteTo cut into something by clamping the teeth; To...
5Middle Englishbitento bite
6Old Englishbetēonto cover, surround, enclose; to cover, surround,...
7Old Englishtēonto drag, draw, pull; to train, discipline; to...
8Old Englishtēohan—
9Proto-West Germanicteuhanto pull; to lead
10Proto-Germanicteuhanąto lead; to pull behind oneself, draw, drag
11Proto-Indo-Europeandewk-to pull, to draw; to lead

Words derived from “codeword”

  • pseudocodeword
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dewk- →