Standard Lemma guide

codify

verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: kōˈ-dĭ-fīˌ
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈkəʊ.dɪˌfaɪ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -əʊdɪfaɪ
  • Atlantic-Canada, General-American: kŏˈ-dĭ-fīˌ
  • Atlantic-Canada, General-American: kōˈ-dĭ-fīˌ
  • Atlantic-Canada, General-American: /ˈkɑ.dɪˌfaɪ/
  • Atlantic-Canada, General-American: [ˈkɑ.ɾɪˌfaɪ]
  • Atlantic-Canada, General-American: /ˈkoʊ.dɪˌfaɪ/
  • Atlantic-Canada, General-American: [ˈkoʊ.ɾɪˌfaɪ]
  • rhymes with -ɑdɪfaɪ
  • rhymes with -oʊdɪfaɪ
  • CMU ARPABET: K OW1 D AH0 F AY2 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To reduce to a code, to arrange into a code.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The company president codified the goal as a one-line mission statement.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To collect and arrange in a systematic form.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To enact as an official rule or law.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

organize into a code or system, such as a body of law

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Hammurabi codified the laws

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: systematize, systematise, systemize, systemise

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English code Latin -i- Proto-Indo-European *dheh1-der. Proto-Italic *θakos Proto-Italic *-fakos Latin -ficus Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh2yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h2tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin -ficō Latin -ificāreder. Old French -ifierbor. Middle English -ifien English -ify English codify From code + -ify.

Across languages

Translations

21 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: кодирам (kodiram) — reduce to a code
  • Catalan: codificar — reduce to a code
  • Chinese Mandarin: 編成法典 /编成法典 (biānchéng fǎdiǎn) — reduce to a code
  • Chinese Mandarin: 使法律成文化 (shǐ fǎlǜ chéngwénhuà) — reduce to a code
  • Chinese Mandarin: 法典化 (fǎdiǎnhuà) — reduce to a code
  • Czech: kodifikovat — reduce to a code
  • Finnish: kodifioida — reduce to a code
  • Finnish: koontaa (lait) — reduce to a code
  • French: codifier — reduce to a code
  • German: kodifizieren — reduce to a code
  • Greek: κωδικοποιώ (kodikopoió) — reduce to a code
  • Interlingua: codificar — reduce to a code
  • Japanese: 成文化する (seibunka suru) — reduce to a code
  • Polish: kodyfikować — reduce to a code
  • Portuguese: codificar — reduce to a code
  • Romanian: codifica — reduce to a code
  • Russian: кодифици́ровать (kodificírovatʹ) — reduce to a code
  • Russian: зашифро́вывать (zašifróvyvatʹ) — reduce to a code
  • Russian: зашифрова́ть (zašifrovátʹ) — reduce to a code
  • Spanish: codificar — reduce to a code
  • Vietnamese: pháp điển hóa — reduce to a code