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Hyphenation

ci·pher

Pronunciation

'sI-f&r

Etymology

14th century. Via Old French cif(f)re from, ultimately, Arabic ṣifr, zero, source of English zero.

Noun

cipher or cypher

1. A method of transforming a text in order to conceal its meaning.

   The message was written in a simple cipher. Anyone could figure it out.

2. Ciphertext; a message concealed via a cipher.

   The message is clearly a cipher, but I can't figure it out.

3. A design of interlacing initials: a decorative design consisting of a set of interlaced initials
4. (music) A fault in an organ valve which causes a pipe to sound continuously without the key having been pressed.
5. (dated) Someone or something of no importance.

   You are just a cipher to me.

Translations

• jelentéktelen (5), nulla (5)

Intransitive Verb

1. (regional and/or dated) To calculate.

   I never learned much more than how to read and cipher.

Related Terms

• ciphertext
• cypherpunk
• decipher
• encipher
• zero