*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of codon

From Latin codon, from Ancient Greek κώδων (kṓdōn).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A handbell used for summoning monks. · The "bell" or flaring mouth of a trumpet.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Latin codon, from Ancient Greek κώδων (kṓdōn).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "codon"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin codon"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "κώδων"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek κώδων (kṓdōn)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "codon",
      "codon#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "κώδων",
      "κώδων#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A handbell used for summoning monks.",
        "The \"bell\" or flaring mouth of a trumpet."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "ca5066dc534d50607dfcbd32082723d5a5fd3b148f5e21842ea5b46948e44542",
      "rawRecordSha256": "ca879a13f68e7e81e8209a322a2ea63710fec0cee4679ae86b08f7e4debd8e4f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 228778
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A sequence of three adjacent nucleotides, which encode for a specific amino acid during protein synthesis or translation.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From code + -on.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {},
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "suffix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "code",
        "3": "-on",
        "id2": "unit"
      },
      "expansion": "code + -on"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "code",
      "code#English"
    ],
    [
      "-on",
      "-on#English:_unit"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A sequence of three adjacent nucleotides, which encode for a specific amino acid during protein synthesis or translation."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "9b9ecd3c125166c117b20b66d22df62b2f697d76d25e427c73bb88ab45ab79fe",
      "rawRecordSha256": "22805dfc35af6cc67a6aff068621865d8ba1124e39d2031f3b7084584f33cbe6",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 228779
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for codon →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Y29kb24