noun
codex
KOH-dehks
noun
1
A manuscript book, especially an old one, made of bound pages rather than a scroll.
"The monks preserved the text in a medieval codex."
"Scholars study the ancient codex for clues about early Christianity."
2
An official reference list of medicines and their ingredients.
"The pharmacy checked the codex before compounding the mixture."
How to Use Codex
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn old-style bound book, as opposed to a scroll — or, in a specialized sense, an official list of drugs.
Common pairings
an ancient codex
a medieval codex
the pharmaceutical codex
Word Forms
codices plural, codexes plural
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The monks preserved the text in a medieval _____.
Etymology
From Latin codex, "tree trunk" or "block of wood" — early writing tablets were made from wood, and the word later came to mean a bound book. It shares a root with "code."