Codex
/ˈkoʊ.dɛks/noun
An ancient manuscript text in book form, especially one written by hand.
Did you know?Codex comes from Latin for a tree trunk or block of wood, because the earliest codices developed from bound wooden writing tablets—turning raw wood into permanent knowledge.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰeh₂g-
“to beech; tree, wood”
Latin
Latin
caudex / codex
“tree trunk, wooden block, tablet; later a set of wooden writing tablets”
Late Latin
Latin
codex
“a collection of leaves bound together; a manuscript book”
3rd–4th Century
Latin
codex
“a bound book, especially a manuscript volume”
Middle English
English
codex
“a manuscript volume or book, especially an ancient one”
Modern English
English
codex
“an ancient manuscript in book form”