<p>One of the <a href="http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6773432/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">earliest articles in the IEEE database that uses the term</a>, defines it as "coders and decoders."</p>

<p>However, newer material does not seem to be consistent. One of the Wikipedia page's <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20091212070305/https://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/faq/codec.mspx" rel="nofollow noreferrer">sources</a> (at the time a page author retrieved it) alludes to both encoder-decoder and compression-decompression. <a href="https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0240805801" rel="nofollow noreferrer">This book</a> defines it as compression/decompression.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-17T02:33:08.757Z
Considering video files were originally in raw(I'm believe so) "coders and decoders" makes more sense but I'm only using my superficial knowledge of film and computer science.  You see films originally were not compressed and decompressed which therefore means it couldn't be used to stand for codec.  Maybe.....
William
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-18T00:31:29.077Z
The term originated in digital signal processing, not media technology. The first appearance of the term in the [SMPTE](https://www.smpte.org/) Journal seems to be in [1972](http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7233872/), well after the 1965 Bell Labs article.
Michael Liebman
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-17T02:13:03.983Z
2017-11-17T02:13:03.983Z
Michael Liebman
<p>Does codec stand for compression or decompression?</p>

<p>I have also heard it stands for en<strong>co</strong>der/<strong>dec</strong>oder.</p>

<p>Which is it?  Maybe something entirely different.</p>

<p>I'm looking for a source better then Wikipedia.</p>

<codec>
What does codec stand for?
William
# What does codec stand for?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-11-17)

Does codec stand for compression or decompression?

I have also heard it stands for en**co**der/**dec**oder.

Which is it? Maybe something entirely different.

I'm looking for a source better then Wikipedia.

**Tags:** codec


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2017-11-17. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

One of the [earliest articles in the IEEE database that uses the term](http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6773432/), defines it as "coders and decoders."

However, newer material does not seem to be consistent. One of the Wikipedia page's [sources](https://web.archive.org/web/20091212070305/https://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/faq/codec.mspx) (at the time a page author retrieved it) alludes to both encoder-decoder and compression-decompression. [This book](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0240805801) defines it as compression/decompression.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Considering video files were originally in raw(I'm believe so) "coders and decoders" makes more sense but I'm only using my superficial knowledge of film and computer science.  You see films originally were not compressed and decompressed which therefore means it couldn't be used to stand for codec.  Maybe.....  
> **username_1**: The term originated in digital signal processing, not media technology. The first appearance of the term in the [SMPTE](https://www.smpte.org/) Journal seems to be in [1972](http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7233872/), well after the 1965 Bell Labs article.  

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