verb (used with object), en·cod·ed, en·cod·ing.
- to convert (a message, information, etc.) into code.
verb (tr)
- to convert (a message) from plain text into code
- computing to convert (characters and symbols) into a digital form as a series of impulsesCompare decode (def. 2)
- to convert (an electrical signal) into a form suitable for transmission
- to convert (a nerve signal) into a form that can be received by the brain
- to use (a word, phrase, etc, esp of a foreign language) in the construction appropriate to it in that language
1919, from en- (1) “make, put in” + code. Computing sense is from 1955, usually shortened colloquially to code. Related: Encoded; encoding.
- To specify the genetic code for the synthesis of a protein molecule or a part of a protein molecule.