cipher
English
/ˈsaɪfə/, /ˈsaɪfɚ/
noun
Definitions
- A numeric character.
- Any text character.
- A combination or interweaving of letters, as the initials of a name; a device; a monogram.
- A method of transforming a text in order to conceal its meaning.
- (cryptography) A cryptographic system using an algorithm that converts letters or sequences of bits into ciphertext.
- Ciphertext; a message concealed via a cipher.
- A grouping of three digits in a number, especially when delimited by commas or periods:
- (music) A fault in an organ valve which causes a pipe to sound continuously without the key having been pressed.
- A hip-hop jam session.
- The path (usually circular) shared cannabis takes through a group, an occasion of cannabis smoking.
- Someone or something of no importance.
- (dated) Zero.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English cifre derived from Old French cyfre derived from Arabic صِفْر (nothing, zero, cipher, empty, void).
Origin
Arabic
صِفْر
Gloss
nothing, zero, cipher, empty, void
Concept
Semantic Field
Miscellaneous function words
Ontological Category
Number
Kanji
零
Emoji
Timeline
Distribution of cognates by language
Geogrpahic distribution of cognates
Cognates and derived terms
- chiffre English
- cipherable English
- cipherer English
- cipherhood English
- cipherlike English
- ciphertext English
- encipher English
- encipherer English
- encipherment English
- superencipher English
- telecipher English
- text English
- uncipher English
- cifra Latin
- zephirum Latin
- zerum Latin
- Chiffre German
- chiffrage French
- chiffre French
- chiffrer French
- шифр Russian
- cifra Spanish, Castilian
- cifrar Spanish, Castilian
- sifrino Spanish, Castilian
- शून्य Sanskrit
- cifre Middle English
- صِفْر Arabic
- cyfre Old French
- ĉifro Esperanto
- cifra Serbo-Croatian
- xifra Catalan, Valencian
- صفر Persian
- sıfır Turkish
- шифър Bulgarian
- sıfır Azerbaijani
- صفر Ottoman Turkish
- ციფრი Georgian
- sifuri Swahili
- sifir Northern Kurdish
- ਸਿਫ਼ਰ Panjabi, Punjabi
- sifiri Hausa
- سفر Central Kurdish