codec

C3O1D2E1C3

noun

A device or program capable of performing transformations on a data stream or signal.

“H.264 and AV1 are examples of video codecs.”

CommonScrabble 10
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Meanings

nouncodec (plural codecs)

plural codecs

  1. computingA device or program capable of performing transformations on a data stream or signal.

    Audio and video codecs are important in making multimedia files small enough to distribute and simple to play back.

  2. computingA media coding format.

    H.264 and AV1 are examples of video codecs.

Origin

Syllabic abbreviation of coder decoder, probably in imitation of how modem was formed.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian кодек
  • кодек (kodek)A device or program capable of performing transformations on a data stream or signal
Czech kodek
  • kodekA device or program capable of performing transformations on a data stream or signal
Finnish koodekki
  • koodekkiA device or program capable of performing transformations on a data stream or signal
French codec
  • codecA device or program capable of performing transformations on a data stream or signal
German Codec
  • CodecA device or program capable of performing transformations on a data stream or signal
Korean 코덱
  • 코덱 (kodek)A device or program capable of performing transformations on a data stream or signal
Māori kotēkē
  • kotēkēA device or program capable of performing transformations on a data stream or signal
Polish kodek
  • kodekA device or program capable of performing transformations on a data stream or signal
Portuguese codec
  • codecA device or program capable of performing transformations on a data stream or signal
Russian кодек
  • кодек (kodek)A device or program capable of performing transformations on a data stream or signal
Spanish códec
  • códecA device or program capable of performing transformations on a data stream or signal
Ukrainian кодек
  • кодек (kodek)A device or program capable of performing transformations on a data stream or signal
Cite this entry
APA

codec. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/codec

MLA

“codec.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/codec. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “codec,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/codec.

Source: codec on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.