A codicil is literally a "little codex," a little bit of writing on a small piece of writing material, used to add to or change something about a larger piece of writing. A codicil to a will can change the terms of the original will completely, so it generally requires witnesses just like the will itself, though in some states a handwritten codicil may not. In mystery novels, such changes have been known to cause murders; in real life, codicils aren't usually quite that exciting.
a codicil to the treaty was necessary to clarify certain provisos that had proved to be ambiguous
Recent Examples on the WebThe codicil — which is to be found in the same reality that gave rise to the concept of a casual restaurant — is not to disturb other diners.Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2021 In 1990 Donald secretly enlisted a lawyer to draft a codicil to the will of his father, Fred Sr. Anne Diebel, The New York Review of Books, 24 Sep. 2020 In 1990 Donald secretly enlisted a lawyer to draft a codicil to the will of his father, Fred Sr. Anne Diebel, The New York Review of Books, 24 Sep. 2020 In 1990 Donald secretly enlisted a lawyer to draft a codicil to the will of his father, Fred Sr. Anne Diebel, The New York Review of Books, 24 Sep. 2020 In 1990 Donald secretly enlisted a lawyer to draft a codicil to the will of his father, Fred Sr. Anne Diebel, The New York Review of Books, 24 Sep. 2020 In 1990 Donald secretly enlisted a lawyer to draft a codicil to the will of his father, Fred Sr. Anne Diebel, The New York Review of Books, 24 Sep. 2020 In 1990 Donald secretly enlisted a lawyer to draft a codicil to the will of his father, Fred Sr. Anne Diebel, The New York Review of Books, 24 Sep. 2020 But there was a secret codicil: Kennedy agreed to withdraw Jupiter missiles from Turkey that could reach Moscow as quickly as Soviet missiles in Cuba could reach Washington.Washington Post, 30 Apr. 2021 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English codicill, from Anglo-French *codicille, from Latin codicillus, diminutive of codic-, codex