Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “code” come from?

code (Middle English) comes from Old English codd, from Proto-Germanic kuddô, from Proto-Indo-European gewt-, from Proto-Indo-European gū- — to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...

code (Middle English): Any kind of plant gum; a gummy or resinous...

Definitions

  1. Any kind of plant gum; a gummy or resinous...

Ancestry of “code”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishcoddbag; sack; husk
2Proto-Germanickuddôbag; pod; sack; purse
3Proto-Indo-Europeangewt-sack; pouch; pouch, sack
4Proto-Indo-Europeangū-to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...

Words derived from “code”

  • code
  • coding
  • encode
  • decoder
  • decode
  • encoder
  • cud
  • codify
  • coder
  • codebook
  • pseudocode
  • codeword
  • noncoding
  • opcode
  • bytecode
  • postcode
  • couldn't
  • timecode
  • codename
  • shellcode
  • recode
  • decodable
  • microcode
  • vocoder
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gū- →