cryptography

noun

cryp·​tog·​ra·​phy krip-ˈtä-grə-fē How to pronounce cryptography (audio)
1
: secret writing
2
: the enciphering and deciphering of messages in secret code or cipher
also : the computerized encoding and decoding of information
3

Did you know?

For a word having to do with secrets, cryptography has a surprisingly transparent origin. The word comes from Greek kryptós, meaning "hidden" or "secret," and graphein, meaning "to write." Besides the familiar related words of the same origin, such as cryptic, there is krypton, the name of a colorless gaseous element used especially in some fluorescent lamps and photography flashes. The name was chosen because the gas is rare and hard to find.

Examples of cryptography in a Sentence

Companies often use cryptography to protect private information.
Recent Examples on the Web On the security front, crypto-agile systems are better equipped to handle evolving cybersecurity threats compared to systems that rely on traditional cryptography. Klaudia Zaika, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 Reality check: Satoshi was pretty good at this whole cryptography thing, and real proof of who they are may never be found. Pete Gannon, Axios, 4 Oct. 2024 So, cryptography’s meaning has really evolved over the years. Quanta Magazine, 1 Aug. 2024 The history of cryptography, the art of writing and solving codes, dates back to ancient times when people used simple substitution ciphers to encrypt messages. David Schiffer, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cryptography 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cryptography.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin cryptographia, from crypto- crypto- + -graphia -graphy

Note: New Latin cryptographia was perhaps first used by the Limburg-born philologist Erycius Puteanus (Eric de Put, Eric van den Putte, 1574-1646) in "Cryptographia epistolica, sive de clandestina scriptione," an addendum to his Epistolarum reliquiae centuria V (Leuven/Louvain, 1612). An apparently more widely circulated work using the word was Cryptomenytices et cryptographiae libri IX (Lüneburg, 1624) by Gustavus Selenus, pseudonym of Augustus the Younger, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1579-1666).

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cryptography was in 1646

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Dictionary Entries Near cryptography

Cite this Entry

“Cryptography.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cryptography. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

cryptography

noun
cryp·​tog·​ra·​phy krip-ˈtäg-rə-fē How to pronounce cryptography (audio)
: the coding and decoding of secret messages or digital information
cryptographer
-fər
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on cryptography

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