Nearby Words
noun
1.
2.
any of the Arabic numerals or figures.
3.
Arabic numerical notation collectively.
4.
something of no value or importance.
5.
EXPANDa person of no influence; nonentity.
6.
a secret method of writing, as by transposition or substitution of letters, specially formed symbols, or the like. Compare cryptography.
7.
writing done by such a method; a coded message.
8.
the key to a secret method of writing.
9.
COLLAPSEa combination of letters, as the initials of a name, in one design; monogram.
verb (used without object)
10.
to use figures or numerals arithmetically.
11.
to write in or as in cipher.
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Cipher
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is fletcherise. Does it mean:
| to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly. |
| to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable. |
verb (used with object)
12.
to calculate numerically; figure.
13.
to convert into cipher.
Also, especially British, cypher.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English siphre < Medieval Latin ciphra < Arabic ṣifr empty, zero; translation of Sanskrit śūnyā empty
1350–1400; Middle English siphre < Medieval Latin ciphra < Arabic ṣifr empty, zero; translation of Sanskrit śūnyā empty
Related forms
ci·pher·a·ble, adjective
ci·pher·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To cipher
Example Sentences
- But his absence from public discourse makes him a cipher.
- He had a secret cipher of his own, though, a dove with an olive branch.
- The failure of the code-breaking attempts has raised the suspicion that there may not be any cipher to crack.
Collins
World English Dictionary
| cipher or cypher (ˈsaɪfə) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a method of secret writing using substitution or transposition of letters according to a key |
| 2. | a secret message |
| 3. | the key to a secret message |
| 4. | an obsolete name for zero |
| 5. | any of the Arabic numerals (0, 1, 2, 3, etc, to 9) or the Arabic system of numbering as a whole |
| 6. | a person or thing of no importance; nonentity |
| 7. | a design consisting of interwoven letters; monogram |
| 8. | music a defect in an organ resulting in the continuous sounding of a pipe, the key of which has not been depressed |
| —vb | |
| 9. | to put (a message) into secret writing |
| 10. | (intr) (of an organ pipe) to sound without having the appropriate key depressed |
| 11. | rare to perform (a calculation) arithmetically |
| [C14: from Old French cifre zero, from Medieval Latin cifra, from Arabic sifr zero, empty] | |
| cypher or cypher | |
| —n | |
| —vb | |
| [C14: from Old French cifre zero, from Medieval Latin cifra, from Arabic sifr zero, empty] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
cipher
1399, from M.L. cifra, from Arabic sifr "zero," lit. "empty, nothing," from safara "to be empty," loan-transl. of Skt. sunya-s "empty." Came to Europe with Arabic numerals. Original meaning "zero," then "any numeral," then (first in Fr. and It.) "coded message" (first attested in Eng. 1528), since early
EXPANDcodes often substituted numbers for letters. The verb meaning "to do arithmetic (with Arabic numerals) first attested 1530.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
cipher
any method of transforming a message to conceal its meaning. The term is also used synonymously with ciphertext or cryptogram in reference to the encrypted form of the message. A brief treatment of ciphers follows. For full treatment, see cryptology.
Learn more about cipher with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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