cipher
noun/verb
A secret or disguised way of writing; a code; a person or thing of no importance; the number zero.
Etymology
From Arabic sifr "zero, empty," which also gave us the word "zero." The meaning expanded to "code" because codes often used numbers.
Examples in Use
- 1.
"The spy communicated using an elaborate cipher."
- 2.
"Without his mentor, he felt like a cipher in the organization."
- 3.
"Alan Turing worked to break the Nazi cipher during World War II."
Related Vocabulary
Synonyms
Related Words
Fun Fact
The Caesar cipher, one of the oldest known encryption techniques, shifts each letter by a fixed number. Julius Caesar used a shift of 3: A became D, B became E, and so on.
Word Game Tips
Letters: 6 letters (C, I, P, H, E, R)
Scrabble Value: 13 points
Tip: The letter pattern in "CIPHER" appears in many related words.
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