cipher
cipher Lexical Profile
cipher Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A secret or disguised way of writing; a cryptographic system that converts plaintext into secret symbols or characters, or a message written in such a system.
"The historians spent months trying to crack the complex cipher found in the diplomat's private journals."
A person or thing of no importance, influence, or distinct personality; a nonentity.
"Despite holding a senior title on the board, he was treated as a mere cipher with no real decision-making authority."
A mathematical symbol (0) denoting the absence of all magnitude or quantity; zero, or any Arabic numeral.
"A single misplaced cipher at the end of the ledger entry multiplied the estimated cost tenfold."
A monogram or decorative design composed of interwoven initials, often embossed on stationery, silverware, or royal insignia.
"The antique silver pocket watch was engraved with the royal cipher on its outer casing."
• verb
To convert a message or text into secret writing using a cryptographic system.
"The software was designed to cipher sensitive financial records before transmitting them across the network."
To perform arithmetic calculations or solve problems using figures (now chiefly dated or regional).
"In the nineteenth-century schoolhouse, students learned to read, write, and cipher on slate boards."
Word Nuance & Usage
In cryptography, a 'cipher' substitutes or transposes individual letters or characters according to an algorithm, whereas a 'code' replaces entire words or phrases with symbols or other words.
• Rhymes for cipher
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old French 'cifre', via Medieval Latin 'cifra', from Arabic 'sifr' meaning 'empty' or 'zero', which was a translation of the Sanskrit 'śūnya'. As Arabic numerals were initially unfamiliar and suspiciously arcane in medieval Europe, the word evolved from meaning 'zero' to any numeral, and eventually to secret writing.