noun / verb
cipher
SIGH-fur/ˈsaɪfər/
A system for disguising a message, or using such a system.
The spy uses a cipher to disguise the message before sending it overseas.
Etymology
From “zero,” cipher came to mean any numeral, then a secret way of writing. The connection is that early codes often substituted numbers for letters.
In context
They have, for instance, paid $10 million to RSA to essentially privilege a weakened encryption, what’s called a cipher, which is a way that encryption is performed
More examples
- She ciphered the note with a substitution system.
- The analysts compared several possible ciphers.
- He is ciphering the instructions so outsiders cannot read them.
Forms
cipher · ciphers · ciphered · ciphering
Similar words
- code
- A code may replace whole words or concepts; a cipher typically transforms the message's symbols through a systematic rule.