Definition of CODIFY

Other Words from codify

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.

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

While most Hindu personal laws have been overhauled and codified over the years, Muslim laws have been left to religious authorities and left largely untouched. — Fox News, "India bans instant divorce by Muslim men," 19 Sep. 2018 The difference is that its odd and uncertain phenomena have been codified and turned into science by a consortium of the radio scientists Oliver Lodge and Guglielmo Marconi, and Eusapia Palladino, a famous medium. — Tom Shippey, WSJ, "Science Fiction: A New Novel Destined to Be a Classic," 28 June 2018 His recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital codified a truth that must be accepted before Israel and the Palestinians can move forward together. — Daniel J. Arbess, WSJ, "Is Trump Following a Grand Mideast Strategy?," 5 June 2018 The bill includes dozens of miscellaneous provisions, ranging from crucial fixes to the recent GOP tax bill to a measure on employee tips to language codifying that minor-league baseball players are exempt from federal labor laws. — Author: Mike Debonis, Erica Werner, Anchorage Daily News, "House passes $1.3 trillion spending bill, boosting defense, undercutting Trump’s wall," 22 Mar. 2018 Her office says the law would apply to the Legislature as well, thus codifying a similar legislative practice of requiring such training. — Dan Walters, San Francisco Chronicle, "Legislature’s rule: Do as we say, not as we do," 16 Mar. 2018 Connecticut is one of the few states that has codified the provisions of Roe v. Wade in state law. — Christopher Keating, courant.com, "What Would Overturning Roe V. Wade Mean For Abortion Access In Connecticut?," 11 July 2018 Cuomo also called on the state Senate to hold a special session to pass legislation that would codify Roe v. Wade in New York before the next Supreme Court justice is confirmed. — Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Fox News, "New York Gov. Cuomo signs reproductive rights executive order ahead of Trump's Supreme Court pick," 9 July 2018 Then, America invented a system of Jim Crow laws that codified racial discrimination as an official system of oppression. — Solomon Jones, Philly.com, "Not everyone in America is free this Fourth of July | Solomon Jones," 3 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'codify.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.