'encode' originates from the prefix 'en-' meaning 'to cause to be in' and the word 'code', which comes from the Latin 'codex', meaning 'book'.

'encode' evolved from the combination of 'en-' and 'code', which was influenced by the need to convert information into a coded form.

Initially, it meant 'to convert into a coded form', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.