An old book written by hand, with pages you turn, not a long scroll you unroll. Before printing, people copied laws, holy texts, and science this way, often onto animal skin.

An old book written by hand codex 是一種手抄的古書, with pages you turn, not a long scroll you unroll有可以翻的書頁，而不是要展開的長卷軸。Before printing在印刷術出現之前, people copied laws, holy texts, and science this way人們就是這樣抄寫法律、宗教經典和科學內容, often onto animal skin通常抄在動物皮革上。

Scholars still say “codex” for a famous old copy — a named manuscript sitting in a library — not for the paperback in your bag. It is a museum and university word.

Scholars still say "codex"學者現在仍會用 codex 這個字 for a famous old copy指一份有名的古老抄本──a named manuscript sitting in a library一份放在圖書館裡、有名字的手抄本──not for the paperback in your bag而不是指你包包裡的平裝書。It is a museum and university word這是個博物館和大學裡用的字。

Latin cōdex first meant a tree trunk, then a wooden writing tablet, then a book; English “code” is a doublet of that same Latin word, which is why the two look related, though actually one stayed with books and the other drifted toward rules and signals. In plant science you may still meet caudex for a thick stem, the other Latin shape of the same word.

Latin cōdex first meant a tree trunk拉丁文 cōdex 最初的意思是樹幹, then a wooden writing tablet後來變成木製的寫字板, then a book再後來變成書; English "code" is a doublet of that same Latin word英文的 code 是同一個拉丁字的另一種形式, which is why the two look related這也是為什麼這兩個字看起來有關聯, though actually one stayed with books and the other drifted toward rules and signals不過其實一個留在「書」的意思上，另一個則演變成「規則、訊號」。In plant science在植物學裡 you may still meet caudex你可能還會遇到 caudex for a thick stem指粗厚的莖幹, the other Latin shape of the same word是同一個字的另一種拉丁文形式。