codify

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verb cod·i·fy \ˈkä-də-ˌfī, ˈkō-\

Definition of codify

codified

;

codifying

transitive verb
1 : to reduce to a code The convention codified the rules of war.
2a : systematize Standardization refers to the process by which a language has been codified in some way. — Ronald Wardhaughb : classify Customer complaints are codified as dissatisfaction feedback.

codifiability

play \ˌkä-də-ˌfī-ə-ˈbi-lə-tē, ˌkō-\ noun

codification

play \ˌkä-də-fə-ˈkā-shən, ˌkō-\ noun

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Examples of codify in a Sentence

The convention codified the rules of war.
The author tries to codify important ideas about language.

Recent Examples of codify from the Web

So Fried and another former diplomat, Tom Malinowski, who was assistant secretary of state for human rights, began lobbying Congress to pass legislation codifying the sanctions, Malinowski told NBC News.

— ken dilanian, NBC News, "Former Diplomats: Trump Team Sought to Lift Sanctions on Russia", 1 June 2017
First codified by Parisian restaurant La Tour d'Argent in the 19th century, this extravagant meal is a flamboyant celebration of French haute cuisine.

— thomas page, CNN, "Dine macabre: When blood is on the menu", 30 May 2017
The medium has yet to be entirely codified, and true players have yet to emerge from the fray.

— craig shvatz, WIRED, "Web as Tryout for Animators", 19 May 1999

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.

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.