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codeword

codeword

1 7.0
A group of bits or letters made to carry information and help find and fix errors
  • noun
  • /ˈkoʊdˌwɜrd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : código
  • Miss Aggie, who by then had learned the ships' names, the communications patterns, and the frequently used phrases of the Japanese fleet, no doubt utilized a form of this process first to dissolve the codeword encipherment and then to reconstruct the new 85,000-group code.

Examples

  • The encryption software uses a unique codeword for each message to ensure secure communication.

  • Pick out a codeword.

    Unlawful Entry (1992)

  • Smith edged his chair in front of it and spoke a series of commands with codewords the machine wouldn't have recognized in any voice but his.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • In the algorithm, each letter is replaced by a specific codeword to protect sensitive information.

  • During the transmission, the system verifies each codeword to confirm that all data was sent correctly.

Surface Forms

codeword singular
codewords plural

Morphology

codeword = code + word (semi-transparent) = code + word

The components 'code' and 'word' are clear, but the specific meaning in information theory is specialized and not immediately obvious.

Etymology

Codeword is made of code ('a system of signs or rules') and word ('a single unit'), so think of it as one line in a codebook. In computing and communication a codeword is one valid set of bits or letters that the system uses to send information and to find or fix errors.