codify

verb

cod·​i·​fy ˈkä-də-ˌfī 

ˈkō-

codified; codifying

transitive verb

1

: to reduce to a code

The convention codified the rules of war.

2

a

: systematize

Standardization refers to the process by which a language has been codified in some way.

—Ronald Wardhaugh

b

: classify

Customer complaints are codified as dissatisfaction feedback.

codifiability

ˌkä-də-ˌfī-ə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

ˌkō-

noun

codification

ˌkä-də-fə-ˈkā-shən 

ˌkō-

noun

Did you know?

A code is a collection of laws arranged in an orderly way; famous examples include the Code of Hammurabi, from about 1760 B.C. in ancient Babylon, and the Napoleonic Code, produced at Napoleon's orders in 1804. Laws that have been included in a code have been codified. The rules of baseball differed greatly from one place to another until they were codified by Alexander Cartwright in 1845; they haven't changed much since, though we don't know what Cartwright would say about the designated hitter.

Synonyms

• assort
• break down
• categorize
• class
• classify
• compartment
• compartmentalize
• digest
• distinguish
• distribute
• grade
• group
• peg
• place
• range
• rank
• relegate
• separate
• sort
• type

Examples of codify in a Sentence

The convention codified the rules of war.

The author tries to codify important ideas about language.

Recent Examples on the Web

The plan codifies some provisions — including royalty hikes for competitive leases — that were already being enforced on an interim basis since the passage of the climate law, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, in August 2022. —Matthew Daly, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024

Rather than end the surveillance, Congress codified the program as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), granting itself some authority to enforce procedures ostensibly designed to limit the program's impact on Americans’ civil liberties. —Condé Nast, WIRED, 10 Apr. 2024

This aristocratic habit was eventually codified as service à la française, distinguished by the practice of putting multiple dishes on the table at once. —Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024

Their goals: dismantle the neoliberal policies of the Seventies that fostered staggering income inequality, abandon the archaic Pinochet-era constitution, and draft a new magna carta to codify institutional gender parity and land rights for the country’s indigenous communities. —Richard Villegas, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2024

Since then, at least 144 countries have sought to codify the voluntary restrictions. —Heather Vogell, ProPublica, 2 Apr. 2024

Decades later in 2022, the only Senate Democrat left to vote against codifying Roe v. Wade was West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin. —Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Mar. 2024

Last year, Hobbs convened a water policy council to create a new regulation option tailored to rural communities, but legislation to codify its recommendations has yet to receive a hearing. —The Arizona Republic, 13 Mar. 2024

The Abraham Accords codifying peace between Israel and several Arab countries. —Reid J. Epstein, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

code entry 1 + -ify

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

codify

verb

cod·​i·​fy ˈkäd-ə-ˌfī 

ˈkōd-

codified; codifying

: to arrange (as a collection of laws) in an orderly form

codification

ˌkäd-ə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

ˌkōd-

noun

Legal Definition

codify

transitive verb

cod·​i·​fy ˈkä-də-ˌfī, ˈkō- 

codified; codifying

: to reduce (laws) to a code

codification

ˌkä-də-fə-ˈkā-shən, ˌkō- 

noun