codify
Meaning: To arrange laws, rules, or principles into a systematic written code or collection. To give formal, authoritative expression to something that was previously unwritten or customary.
Codify is essential vocabulary in legal and constitutional studies, where it describes the process of collecting and organising disparate rules into a coherent body of law. The UK's uncodified constitution is a perennial topic in political discussion — proposals to codify it are regularly debated. Beyond law, the word appears in academic and professional contexts: codify best practice, codify knowledge. It implies the imposition of order on something previously informal or scattered.
Examples
- There have been repeated calls to codify the powers of the prime minister, which currently rest largely on convention. 人们多次呼吁将首相的权力编纂成文,这些权力目前主要依赖惯例。Ha habido repetidas peticiones de codificar los poderes del primer ministro, que actualmente descansan en gran medida en la convención.首相の権限を成文化すべきとの声が繰り返し上がっているが、現在のところその権限は主に慣例に基づいている。현재 주로 관례에 기반하고 있는 총리의 권한을 성문화해야 한다는 요구가 반복적으로 제기되어 왔다.
- The professional body sought to codify its ethical standards into a single, binding document. 该专业机构试图将其伦理标准编纂为一份具有约束力的统一文件。El organismo profesional trató de codificar sus normas éticas en un único documento vinculante.その専門団体は、倫理基準を一つの拘束力ある文書に体系化しようとした。그 전문 단체는 자체 윤리 기준을 하나의 구속력 있는 문서로 체계화하고자 했다.
- Napoleon's greatest lasting achievement was to codify French civil law into the Code Napoléon. 拿破仑最伟大的历史遗产是将法国民法编纂为《拿破仑法典》。El mayor logro perdurable de Napoleón fue codificar el derecho civil francés en el Código Napoleónico.ナポレオンの最も永続的な功績は、フランス民法をナポレオン法典として法典化したことであった。나폴레옹의 가장 영속적인 업적은 프랑스 민법을 나폴레옹 법전으로 법전화한 것이었다.
Pronunciation
Usage Guide
Context: legal, academic, journalism
Tone: neutral
Origin & History
From code, from Latin codex (book, set of laws) + -ify (to make). The Latin codex originally meant a tree trunk, then a wooden writing tablet, then a book. The English verb dates from the early 19th century.
Cultural Context
Era: Modern
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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