Cipher
/ˈsaɪfər/
Definitions
3 meaningsA method of secret writing or a secret message written using such a method.
/ˈsaɪfər/
A secret or disguised way of writing.
The message was written in a complex cipher.
💡 Simply: Imagine a secret code only spies use to send hidden messages. That's a cipher!
👶 For kids: A secret code to keep things hidden!
More Examples
They cracked the cipher and discovered the enemy's plans.
How It's Used
"The spy used a complex cipher to protect his messages."
"Scholars spent years deciphering the ancient cipher."
A person or thing regarded as insignificant or unimportant.
/ˈsaɪfər/
Something of little value or meaning; a zero.
He felt like a cipher in the large company.
💡 Simply: If someone's a cipher, it means they don't really matter; it is like they aren't important.
👶 For kids: Someone or something that doesn't matter much.
More Examples
Her efforts were reduced to a cipher.
How It's Used
"He felt like a cipher in the grand scheme of things."
To convert a message into a secret code using a cipher.
/ˈsaɪfər/
To encode or encrypt in a cipher.
They ciphered the message using a substitution cipher.
💡 Simply: To use a secret code to write messages that no one but you can read.
👶 For kids: To write a secret message in a code.
More Examples
The data was ciphered before transmission.
How It's Used
"The military personnel ciphered their messages to avoid interception."
From Middle French chiffre, from Arabic sifr "zero," ultimately from Proto-Semitic *ṣāphara "to be empty, void."
The word 'cipher' has a rich history, evolving from its mathematical origins (zero) to its modern meaning as a secret code.
Memory tip
Think 'cipher' as 'cypher' – like a secret code to decipher.
Word Origin
"zero, empty"