codicil
/ˈkɒdɪsɪl
/ /ˈkəʊdɪsɪl/noun
An addition or supplement that explains, modifies, or revokes a will or part of one: Francis has remembered him in a codicil to this will...
- Ryan explains the codicil in Alex's will and tries to make Bianca understand that the money is supposed to go to someone else.
- The Deputy Judge was not prepared to reveal the names of the two witnesses to his codicil when it was executed on 12th November.
- There is no doubt the initial fault lies with the testator and the wording of his codicil.
Derivatives
codicillary
/ /ˌkəʊdɪˈsɪləri / adjectiveOrigin
Late Middle English: from Latin codicillus, diminutive of codex, codic- (see codex).
code from Middle English:
This was originally a term for a system of laws; the sense ‘secret writing’ developed in the early 19th century. It comes from Latin codex, which developed from a simple meaning of a ‘a block of wood’, to ‘a block split into leaves or tablets’ thus ‘a book’. The related term codicil (Late Middle English) is from Latin codicillus, a diminutive of codex, and thus applies to a ‘small’ part of a legal document.