Codex
[KOH-deks]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Latin, late 16th century
1.
An ancient manuscript text in book form.
2.
An official list of medicines, chemicals, etc.
Examples of Codex in a sentence
"The library has a prize collection of ancient books, including a codex that can't be found anywhere else."
"This codex will serve as an inventory for the storeroom."
About Codex
While a physical codex can be millennia old, the word comes from 16th-century Latin. It translates literally as "a block of wood," but it came to describe a block split into tablets for writing. Now it's used to refer to a very old manuscript, or possibly an official inventory of chemicals and medicines.
Did you Know?
Indiana Jones might treasure a codex. It's an ancient manuscript in book form, and any archaeologist would love to discover a new specimen. The Codex Sinaiticus, from the fourth century CE, is the earliest known version of the Christian Bible.
