cipher

[ sahy-fer ]

noun

1. zero.
2. any of the Arabic numerals or figures.
3. Arabic numerical notation collectively.
4. something of no value or importance.
5. a person of no influence; nonentity.
6. a secret method of writing, as by transposition or substitution of letters, specially formed symbols, or the like. Compare cryptography.
7. writing done by such a method; a coded message.
8. the key to a secret method of writing.
9. a combination of letters, as the initials of a name, in one design; monogram.

verb (used without object)

1. to use figures or numerals arithmetically.
2. to write in or as in cipher.

verb (used with object)

1. to calculate numerically; figure.
2. to convert into cipher.

cipher

/ ˈsaɪfə /

noun

1. a method of secret writing using substitution or transposition of letters according to a key
2. a secret message
3. the key to a secret message
4. See zero
   an obsolete name for zero
5. any of the Arabic numerals (0, 1, 2, 3, etc, to 9) or the Arabic system of numbering as a whole
6. a person or thing of no importance; nonentity
7. a design consisting of interwoven letters; monogram
8. music a defect in an organ resulting in the continuous sounding of a pipe, the key of which has not been depressed

verb

1. to put (a message) into secret writing
2. intr (of an organ pipe) to sound without having the appropriate key depressed
3. rare.
   to perform (a calculation) arithmetically

Other Words From

• cipher·a·ble adjective
• cipher·er noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cipher¹

1350–1400; Middle English siphre < Medieval Latin ciphra < Arabic ṣifr empty, zero; translation of Sanskrit śūnyā empty

Word History and Origins

Origin of cipher¹

C14: from Old French cifre zero, from Medieval Latin cifra, from Arabic sifr zero, empty

Example Sentences

Being something of a political cipher may have helped Revels rise to prominence.

From The Daily Beast

He is a cipher who has reduced his own party to near-cipher status.

From The Daily Beast

The Scientists profusely apologized when I left the table at which they had their Cipher.

From The Daily Beast

But what of all those people watching at home, waiting for Ann to explain the cipher that is Mittens?

From The Daily Beast

How else to explain the astounding fact that this cynical cipher is now more or less neck and neck with Obama in the polls?

From The Daily Beast

The figure value of “sew,” therefore equals or is represented by a cipher .

From Project Gutenberg

A will may be found, or my uncle's marriage proved; in either case, I sink back into the cipher I was before.

From Project Gutenberg

In those old days when I was thrown much with this man, he had shown me a curious cipher and taught me how to use it.

From Project Gutenberg

So the duke said it was kind of hard to have to lay roped all day, and he'd cipher out some way to get around it.

From Project Gutenberg

He l'arned to read, en when Maizie came, he l'arned to write en cipher after he was a grown man.

From Project Gutenberg