Definition

Noun: A systematic collection of laws or regulations that have been formally enacted and organized. A legal code represents the complete body of written laws for a particular jurisdiction, such as a state or nation.

Usage

A legal code is the official, codified compilation of statutes that govern a society. It is a foundational document for a legal system, providing a structured and accessible source of law.

Examples

• The country's new legal code modernized its criminal and civil laws.
• Scholars spent years studying the ancient Roman legal code.
• The state legislature is responsible for amending the legal code.

Advanced Usage

• "to codify into a legal code": The process of organizing laws into a systematic, written code.
  • The government aimed to codify centuries of common law into a single, unified legal code.

Variants and Related Words

• Code (n): In a legal context, often used interchangeably with , though "code" can also refer to a collection of rules on a specific subject (e.g., building code, penal code).
• Codification (n): The process of collecting and arranging laws into a code.
• Statutory Code (n): A type of legal code consisting entirely of statutes enacted by a legislative body.

Synonyms

• Body of law
• Statute book
• Corpus juris

Related Phrases

• Penal Code: The specific part of a legal code that deals with crimes and punishments.
  • The offense is defined in Chapter 5 of the Penal Code.
• Civil Code: The part of a legal code dealing with private rights and remedies, such as contracts and property.
  • The dispute was settled according to the principles in the Civil Code.

Notes

The term legal code specifically refers to the organized, written law itself, not to the moral principles (code of ethics) or informal rules (code of conduct) that may guide behavior. Its primary function is to provide a clear, authoritative source of legal rules for a jurisdiction.

Noun

1. a code of laws adopted by a state or nation
   • a code of laws