English Reference
noun

codex

n.
UK /kˈəʊdɛks/ codex

  1. 01 C2 Proficiency TechnicalFormal

    an ancient book written by hand, especially one of the first books to use pages instead of a long roll of paper.

    a manuscript volume of ancient biblical or classical texts. The term distinguishes the bound leaf format from the earlier rotulus or scroll.

    Simple

    The museum displayed an ancient codex that was over a thousand years old.

    In context

    Scholars spent decades studying the Mayan codex to decipher the complex astronomical calculations recorded on its bark-paper pages.

  2. 02 C2 Proficiency TechnicalFormal Medicine

    an official book that lists medicines and how to prepare them.

    a formal or official pharmacopoeia; a collection of descriptions of drugs and medicinal preparations.

    Simple

    The pharmacist checked the national codex to confirm the correct ingredients for the cream.

    In context

    The updated medical codex provides standardised guidelines for the preparation and storage of synthetic hormones in clinical settings.

    pharmacopoeiadispensatory

From Latin cōdex, variant form of caudex (“tree trunk, book, notebook”); compare caudex (in botany). Doublet of code.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin cōdex
Level C2 · Proficiency
Frequency Occasional
Updated