Encoding

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈkoʊdɪŋ/

Definitions

1. The transformation of data into a specific format for efficient storage and communication occurs during this process
2. This method involves converting information into a designated code to facilitate processing and transmission
3. The act of changing information into a particular coded format for storage or transmission

Etymology: "Encoding" is simply the present participle and gerund of "encode," which is formed from the prefix "en-" and "code." The verb "code" entered English in the Middle English period, borrowed through Old French from Latin "codex," meaning a block of wooden tablets or a book, and originally a "caudex" tree trunk. Adding "en-" gives the sense of putting something into a coded form, and the "-ing" ending turns it into the activity or process of doing so. The "code" half of the word has a surprisingly physical origin: the Latin "caudex" meant a tree trunk, and it was later applied to the bound tablets or books made from wood. Over centuries the meaning shifted from a physical book to a system of rules or symbols, so that encoding now refers to converting information into another form, as when text is turned into digital data.

Synonyms: encoding process, ciphering, coding, decoding, transcription

Antonyms: decoding, decryption, unpacking, disassembling, disencapsulation