cipher en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- sī′-fər (Canada, US)
- (Southern-England) audio
- (US) audio
- /ˈsaɪfə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈsaɪfɚ/ (Canada, US)
Etymology
14th century. From Middle English cifre, from Old French cyfre, cyffre (French chiffre), ultimately from Arabic صِفْر (ṣifr, “zero, empty”), from صَفَرَ (ṣafara, “to be empty”). Doublet of chiffre and zero. Sense 8 (a fault in an organ valve) may be a different word.
Meanings
- (dated) A numeric character.
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(obsolete) Any text character.
In ſucceeding times this vnderſtanding wiſedome began to be written in Ciphers, and Characters, and letters bearing the forme of beaſtes, birds, and other creatures; […]
1614, Walter Ralegh [i.e., Walter Raleigh], “Of diuers memorable things betweene the fall of Adam, and the floud of Noah”, in The Historie of the World […], London: […] William Stansby for Walter Burre, […], →OCLC, 1st book, §. VI (Of the Patriarchs deliuering their knowledge by Tradition: and that Enoch writ before the floud), pages 78–79:
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(archaic) A combination or interweaving of letters, as the initials of a name.
a painter's cipher
Just then, an attendant to whom the Queen had whispered returned; and taking a small case from her hand, Anne produced a bracelet somewhat similar to the very one with which Francesca had parted, excepting that it had her cipher, surrounded by a wreath of fleurs-de-lis. "Louis, will you offer this to Mademoiselle Carrara?"
1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXIV, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 290:an engraver's cipher
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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.
He was very early engaged in great ſecrets: For his fatherr, apprehending of what fatal conſequence it would have been to the King’s affairs if his correſpondence had been diſcovered by unfaithful Secretaries, engaged him when very young to write all his letters to England in cypher; ſo that he was generally half the day writing in cypher, or decyphering, and was ſo diſcrect, as well as faithful, that nothing was ever diſcovered by him.
a. 1716 (date written), [Gilbert] Burnet, “Book II. Of the First Twelve Years of the Reign of King Charles II. from the Year 1660 to the Year 1673.”, in [Gilbert Burnet Jr.], editor, Bishop Burnet’s History of His Own Time. […], volume I, London: […] Thomas Ward […], published 1724, →OCLC, page 257:
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A cryptographic system using an algorithm that converts letters or sequences of bits into ciphertext.
a public-key cipher
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Ciphertext; a message concealed via a cipher.
The message is clearly a cipher, but I can't figure it out.
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(obsolete) A grouping of three digits in a number, especially when delimited by commas or periods.
The probability is 1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000 — a number having five ciphers of zeros.
- A fault in an organ valve which causes a pipe to sound continuously without the key having been pressed.
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(qualifier:usually spelled as cypher, slang) A hip-hop jam session.
They say no girls in the cipher, so I rock solo
2011, “The World Is Listening”, in The Journey Aflame, performed by Akua Naru:
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(slang) The path (usually circular) shared cannabis takes through a group, an occasion of cannabis smoking.
As the night seemed darker, cops is on a hunt / They interrupt your cipher, and crush your blunt
1993, “Midnight”, in Midnight Marauders, performed by A Tribe Called Quest:
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(dated) Someone or something of no importance.
There he was a mere cypher: here he was lord of the ascendant; the choice spirit, the dominant genius.
1824, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “The Club of Queer Fellows”, in Tales of a Traveller, part 2 (Buckthorne and His Friends), Philadelphia, Pa.: H[enry] C[harles] Carey & I[saac] Lea, […], →OCLC, page 22:
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(dated) Zero.
O pardon: ſince a crooked Figure may / Atteſt in little place a Million, / And let vs, Cyphers to this great Accompt, / On your imaginarie Forces worke.
1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, prologue], page 69, columns 1–2:Firſt, Find what Decimal of a Pound .625 will Repreſent, which is eaſily done if you prepone a Cypher, and half the Number is the Decimal of a Pound. The Number with a Cypher preponed is .0625, ½ is .03125.
1716, John Hill, Arithmetick Both in the Theory and Practice, Made Plain and Easie, in All the Common and Useful Rules, Both in Whole Numbers, and Fractions, Vulgar and Decimal. […], 2nd edition, London: […] D. Midwinter, […], page 185:We saw earlier about this new symbol, the cipher, that can make numbers big.
2024, Numberphile, by Brady Haran with Rob Eastaway, The Big X - Numberphile:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ciphers | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| cypher | UK, alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
telecipher · Nihilist cipher · stream cipher · subcipher · transposition cipher · substitution cipher · bifid cipher · rail fence cipher · cipherlike · Bacon's cipher · encipher · classical cipher · Gronsfeld cipher · uncipher · cipherhood · decipher · Playfair cipher · Caesar cipher · pigpen cipher · Baconian cipher · Beaufort cipher · ciphony · cypherpunk · Julius Caesar cipher · ciphertext · Vigenère cipher · block cipher · Feistel cipher · cipherdom · cipherene · trifid cipher
Synonyms
numeral · crumb · nebbish · prole · chopped liver · nonentity · puny · cipher · also-ran · little guy · absolute zero · device · monogram · zero · wankstain · picayune · zilch · code · nobody · nonentity · pleb · number · peon · minnow · nobody · nothingburger · nothing · shrimp · rotation · no one · digit · nothing · Joe Nobody · rinky-dink · pip-squeak · quidam
Translations (82)
fi numero (someone or something of no importance) · pl szyfr (method for concealing the meaning of text) · el κρυπτογράφηση (method for concealing the meaning of text) · cs šifra (method for concealing the meaning of text) · ota علامت (combination or interweaving of letters) · is dulritunaraðferð (cryptographic system) · ru шифр (cryptographic system) · sv nolla (someone or something of no importance) · es la glosa (hip-hop jam session) · ru шифро́вка (concealed message) · el μηδέν (numeric character) · ota نشان (combination or interweaving of letters) · ru ве́нзель (combination or interweaving of letters) · hu nulla (numeric character) · ru шифр (method for concealing the meaning of text) · pl szyfr (cryptographic system) · de Ziffer (numeric character) · ru ци́фра (numeric character) · ar شِيفْرَة (numeric character) · es cifra (numeric character) · pt cifra (method for concealing the meaning of text) · es gloss (hip-hop jam session) · sv chiffer (concealed message) · kk шифр (method for concealing the meaning of text) · kk шифр (cryptographic system) · bg шифриране (method for concealing the meaning of text) · hu rejtjel (method for concealing the meaning of text) · fi salakirjoitusviesti (concealed message) · cs nula (someone or something of no importance) · bg цифра (numeric character) · cs šifra (cryptographic system) · sv chiffer (method for concealing the meaning of text) · pt cifra (cryptographic system) · bg шифър (cryptographic system) · ca xifra (concealed message) · fi luku (numeric character) · fi salain (cryptographic system) · fi monogrammi (combination or interweaving of letters) · ka შიფრი (method for concealing the meaning of text) · fr chiffre (numeric character) · fi numero (numeric character) · cs cifra (numeric character) · cs šifra (concealed message) · ka დაშიფრული ტექსტი (concealed message) · fi merkki (any text character) · is dulritaður texti (concealed message) · cs šifrování (method for concealing the meaning of text) · fi salakirjoitusjärjestelmä (cryptographic system) · pt algarismo (numeric character) · pt cifra (numeric character) · tr şifre (concealed message) · cs nicka (someone or something of no importance) · es gloss (hip-hop jam session) · is dulrit (concealed message) · pl cyfra (numeric character) · ja 数字 (numeric character) · ja 暗号 (cryptographic system) · it cifra (numeric character) · ca xifra (numeric character) · sv chiffer (cryptographic system) · fi kolmen numeron ryhmä (grouping of three digits in a number, especially when delimited) · ca xifra (cryptographic system) · es cifra (method for concealing the meaning of text) · de Chiffre f Geheimschrift (concealed message) · da ciffer (numeric character) · nl cijfer (numeric character) · ka შიფრი (cryptographic system) · hu titkosírás (method for concealing the meaning of text) · hu zéró (numeric character) · ka ციფრი (numeric character) · ja sūji (sūji) (numeric character) · ca xifra (method for concealing the meaning of text) · fi salaaja (cryptographic system) · cs číslice (numeric character) · fr tranche (grouping of three digits in a number, especially when delimited) · fi salakirjoitus (method for concealing the meaning of text) · el μηδενικό (numeric character) · cs šifrovací klíč (cryptographic system) · sv siffra (numeric character) · el κρυπτογράφημα (concealed message) · de Verschlüsselungssystem (cryptographic system) · de Verschlüsselung (method for concealing the meaning of text)