book (n.)
O.E. boc “book, writing, written document,” traditionally from P.Gmc. *bokiz “beech” (cf. Ger. Buch “book” Buche “beech;” see beech), the notion being of beechwood tablets on which runes were inscribed, but it may be from the tree itself (people still carve initials in them). The O.E. originally meant any written document. Latin and Sanskrit also have words for “writing” that are based on tree names (“birch” and “ash,” respectively). Meaning “libretto of an opera” is from 1768. A betting book is from 1856.
code
c.1300, “systematic compilation of laws,” from O.Fr. code “system of laws, law-book” (13c.), from L. codex, earlier caudex “book, book of laws,” lit. “tree trunk,” hence, book made up of wooden tablets covered with wax for writing. Meaning “cipher” (the sense in secret code) is from 1808.
write
O.E. writan “to score, outline, draw the figure of,” later “to set down in writing” (class I strong verb; past tense wrat, pp. writen), from P.Gmc. *writanan “tear, scratch” (cf. O.Fris. writa “to write,” O.S. writan “to tear, scratch, write,” O.N. rita “write, scratch, outline,” O.H.G. rizan “to write, scratch, tear,” Ger. reißen “to tear, pull, tug, sketch, draw, design”), outside connections doubtful. Words for “write” in most I.E languages originally mean “carve, scratch, cut” (cf. L. scribere, Gk. grapho, Skt. rikh-); a few originally meant “paint” (cf. Goth. meljan, O.C.S. pisati, and most of the modern Slavic cognates).
