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Law vocabulary · Legal Systems & Sources of Law

Code

Meaning in law, with examples

/kəʊd/nounCommon term

In law, code means: A large, organised law that covers a whole area of law in one systematic text, such as a civil code, criminal code or code of procedure.

In Turkish: kanun, kanunname, külliyat

How it is used

Codes are typical of civil law countries: the French Civil Code, the German Civil Code, the Turkish Civil Code. Common phrases are 'under the Code', 'Article 49 of the Code' and 'codify'. The word also appears in non-legal rules: 'code of conduct', 'code of practice', 'dress code'.

Example sentences

  1. The Turkish Civil Code was largely based on the Swiss Civil Code.

  2. The new code brings all the rules on civil procedure together in one text.

Common collocations

  • civil code
  • criminal code
  • under the Code
  • code of conduct
  • codify the law
  • civil lawA legal system based mainly on written codes, used in most of continental Europe, Latin America and Turkey; also the area of law that deals with private disputes rather than crimes.
  • statuteA written law passed by a parliament or another law-making body, as opposed to rules that come from court decisions.
  • legislationLaws as a group, especially those made by a parliament; also the process of making these laws.
  • articleA numbered part of a constitution, code, treaty or regulation; in English translations of Turkish laws, each 'madde' is normally called an article.
  • actA law passed by a parliament or other legislature, often named with a title and year such as the Companies Act 2006; also called an Act of Parliament.

More terms: Legal Systems & Sources of Law

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.