color code

¹

noun

1. any system of marking or visual designation that uses specific colors for indicating or simplifying, as on a chart or map or in an industrial plant.

color-code

²

[ kuhl-er-kohd ]

verb (used with object)

, col·or-cod·ed, col·or-cod·ing.

1. to distinguish or classify with a color code.

Word History and Origins

Origin of color code¹

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

The feat, published in Science, is the latest in a nearly 10-year collaboration with scientists at Google Research, who combine Lichtman’s electron microscopy imaging with AI algorithms to color-code and reconstruct the extremely complex wiring of mammal brains.

From Science Daily

Adapting an approach commonly used by immunologists, the team was able to color-code individual particles within cells using antibodies and then sort them by color.

From Science Daily

Rescuers physically tag properties and blocks they have checked, but they also use software that allows them to map addresses and color-code them based on their findings.

From New York Times

“We color-code the country in red and blue, eliding the fact that Americans of all political identities reside in every county and every state,” Shaw writes.

From Seattle Times

Austin keeps a color-code chart tracking weapons shipments into the war zone, and keeps the president up to date with it, Sullivan added.

From Washington Post