Word
codex
UK/kˈəʊdɛks/
Definitions
01ancient manuscript book
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Technical · Formal
n. an ancient book written by hand, especially one of the first books to use pages instead of a long roll of paper.
n. a manuscript volume of ancient biblical or classical texts. The term distinguishes the bound leaf format from the earlier rotulus or scroll.
“The museum displayed an ancient codex that was over a thousand years old.”
“Scholars spent decades studying the Mayan codex to decipher the complex astronomical calculations recorded on its bark-paper pages.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
02official list of medicines
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Medicine Technical · Formal
n. an official book that lists medicines and how to prepare them.
n. a formal or official pharmacopoeia; a collection of descriptions of drugs and medicinal preparations.
“The pharmacist checked the national codex to confirm the correct ingredients for the cream.”
“The updated medical codex provides standardised guidelines for the preparation and storage of synthetic hormones in clinical settings.”
Synonyms
Usage
The plural form is 'codices'.
Pitfall
the ancient codexes
the ancient codices
The standard plural of codex follows its Latin root, changing the ending to -ices.
Real-World Examples
“Leonardo’s sketches of their mechanisms (probably developed in Germany) can be seen in the Codex Atlanticus.” “The manuscript, known as Codex Azcatitlán, has been held in France's Bibliothèque Nationale since 1898, but had already spent decades outside of Mexico before that.” “And in what may have been a pre-Columbian version of the naughty step, an ancient Aztec codex shows a parent propelling a teary-eyed infant near a pit of burning chillies.” “Three books of bark paper survived the Spanish purge and were rediscovered in the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe as the Dresden Codex, the Paris Codex and the Madrid Codex.” Etymology
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.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C2 ProficiencyIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.8.5–9.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 6.0114–120
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C2 · Proficiency
- Updated
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englishreference.com/q/codex