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Webster 1913 Edition

Cipher

Ci′pher

,
Noun.
[OF.
cifre
zero, F.
Chiffre
figure (cf. Sp.
cifra
, LL.
cifra
), fr. Ar.
çifrun
,
çafrun
, empty, cipher, zero, fr.
çafira
to be empty. Cf.
Zero
.]
1.
(Arith.)
A character [0] which, standing by itself, expresses nothing, but when placed at the right hand of a whole number, increases its value tenfold.
2.
One who, or that which, has no weight or influence.
Here he was a mere cipher.
W. Irving.
3.
A character in general, as a figure or letter.
[Obs.]
This wisdom began to be written in
ciphers
and characters and letters bearing the forms of creatures.
Sir W. Raleigh.
4.
A combination or interweaving of letters, as the initials of a name; a device; a monogram;
as, a painter’s
cipher
, an engraver's
cipher
, etc.
The cut represents the initials N. W.
5.
A private alphabet, system of characters, or other mode of writing, contrived for the safe transmission of secrets; also, a writing in such characters.
His father . . . engaged him when he was very young to write all his letters to England in
cipher
.
Bp. Burnet.
Cipher key
,
a key to assist in reading writings in cipher.

Ci′pher

,
Adj.
Of the nature of a cipher; of no weight or influence.
“Twelve cipher bishops.”
Milton.

Ci′pher

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Ciphered
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Ciphering
.]
To use figures in a mathematical process; to do sums in arithmetic.
'T was certain he could write and
cipher
too.
Goldsmith.

Ci′pher

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To write in occult characters.
His notes he
ciphered
with Greek characters.
Hayward.
2.
To get by ciphering;
as, to cipher out the answer
.
3.
To decipher.
[Obs.]
Shak.
4.
To designate by characters.
[Obs.]
Shak.

Webster 1828 Edition

Cipher

CIPHER

, n.
1.
In arithmetic, an Arabian or Oriental character, of this form 0, which, standing by itself, expresses nothing, but increases or diminishes the value of other figures, according to its position. In whole numbers, when placed at the right hand of a figure, it increases its value ten fold; but in decimal fractions, placed at the left hand of a figure, it diminishes the value of that figure ten fold.
2.
A character in general.
3.
An intertexture of letters, as the initials of a name, engraved on a seal, box, plate, coach or tomb; a device; an enigmatical character. Anciently, merchants and tradesmen, not being permitted to bear family arms, bore, in lieu of them, their cyphers, or initials of their names, artfully interwoven about a cross.
4.
A secret or disguised manner of writing; certain characters arbitrarily invented and agreed on by two or more persons, to stand for letters or words, and understood only by the persons who invent, or agree to use them. This is a mode of communicating information by letters, in time of war, with a view to conceal facts from an enemy, in case the letters should be intercepted. This art has given rise to another art, that of decyphering; and hence cipher is used for a key to unravel the characters. To have, or to learn a cipher, is to be able to interpret it.

CIPHER

,
Verb.
I.
In popular language, to use figures, or to practice arithmetic.

CIPHER

, v.t.
1.
To write in occult characters.
2.
To designate; to characterize.

Definition 2024

cipher

cipher

English

Alternative forms

  • cypher, less common than cipher but still in use in English. see The Ultra Secret by Winterbotham, the cypherpunk movement, Strider weapon, and consider the Royal navy's series of Cyphers (Nr 1, Nr 2, Nr 3, ...) before and into WWII.

Noun

cipher ‎(plural ciphers)

  1. A numeric character.
  2. Any text character.
    • Sir Walter Raleigh
      This wisdom began to be written in ciphers and characters and letters bearing the forms of creatures.
  3. A combination or interweaving of letters, as the initials of a name; a device; a monogram.
    a painter's cipher, an engraver's cipher, etc.
  4. 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.
    • Bishop Burnet
      His father […] engaged him when he was very young to write all his letters to England in cipher.
  5. (cryptography) A cryptographic system using an algorithm that converts letters or sequences of bits into ciphertext.
  6. Ciphertext; a message concealed via a cipher.
    The message is clearly a cipher, but I can't figure it out.
  7. 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.
  8. A design of interlacing initials: a decorative design consisting of a set of interlaced initials.
  9. (music) A fault in an organ valve which causes a pipe to sound continuously without the key having been pressed.
  10. A hip-hop jam session.[2]
  11. The path (usually circular) shared cannabis takes through a group, an occasion of cannabis smoking.
  12. Someone or something of no importance.
    • Washington Irving
      Here he was a mere cipher.
  13. (dated) Zero.

Synonyms

  • (numeric character): number, numeral
  • (method for concealing the meaning of text): code
  • (cryptographic system using an algorithm):
  • (ciphertext):
  • (a grouping of three digits in a number, especially when delimited):
  • (design of interlacing initials): monogram
  • (fault in an organ valve causing a pipe to sound continuously):
  • (hip-hop jam session):
  • (path that shared cannabis takes through a group):
  • (someone or something of no importance): (person): nobody, nonentity; (thing) nonentity, nothing, nullity
  • (obsolete: zero): naught/nought, nothing, oh, zero

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

method for concealing the meaning of text

Verb

cipher ‎(third-person singular simple present ciphers, present participle ciphering, simple past and past participle ciphered)

  1. (regional, dated) To calculate.
    I never learned much more than how to read and cipher.
    • 1843, Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present, book 2, ch. IX, Abbot Samson
      For the mischief that one blockhead, that every blockhead does, in a world so feracious, teeming with endless results as ours, no ciphering will sum up.

References

  1. ↑ Cipher. (n.d.). In the New Oxford American Dictionary.
  2. ↑ http://www.rapdict.org/Cipher Rap Dictionary. Retrieved 30 November 2005.

Etymology

14th century. From Old French cyfre, cyffre (French chiffre), ultimately from Arabic صِفْر ‎(ṣifr, “zero, empty”), from صَفَرَ ‎(ṣafara, “to be empty”). Compare zero. Sense 9 may be a different word.[1]

Pronunciation

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