Codec
/ˈkoʊdɛk/noun
A device or program that encodes and decodes digital data, especially audio or video.
Did you know?Codec is a modern clipped blend from *coder-decoder*, a reminder that even our most technical words are built from older roots meaning “to arrange, put in order, and read a hidden system.”
Etymological Timeline
Late 20th Century
English
codec
“A combined encoder-decoder for digital signals.”
English
English
coder-decoder
“A device or system that encodes and decodes data.”
Middle English
Anglo-French
code
“A system of laws, rules, or signs arranged in order.”
Latin
Latin
codex
“A block of wood; later, a bound book or manuscript volume.”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*keu-
“To bend, swell, or hew; the root behind Latin forms for cutting and shaping.”