Etymology

barcode

bar·code
B3A1R1C3O1D2E1

Today it means: Any set of machine-readable parallel bars or concentric circles, varying in width, spacing, or height, encoding information according to a symbology. Full definition →

First used 1960sEnglish code ← Middle English code ← Old French code
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

  1. Vulgar Latin*barra
  2. Old Frenchbarre
  3. Middle Englishbarre
  4. Englishbar
  5. Latincaudex
  6. Latincōdex
  7. Old Frenchcode
  8. Middle Englishcode
  9. Englishcode
  10. English todaybarcode

Compound of bar + code. First attested in 1963 for noun sense 1.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 1960s Any set of machine-readable parallel bars or concentric circles, varying in width, spacing, or height, encoding information according to a symbology.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.