crypto

¹ American  

[krip-toh] / ˈkrɪp toʊ /

noun

plural

cryptos

1. a person who secretly supports or adheres to a group, party, or belief.

2. cryptocurrency.

3. cryptography.

---

adjective

1. secret or hidden; not publicly admitted.

   a crypto Nazi.

crypto- ² American  

1. a combining form meaning “hidden,” “secret,” used in the formation of compound words.

   cryptograph.

---

crypto- British  

combining form

1. secret, hidden, or concealed

   cryptography

   crypto-fascist

---

Usage

What does crypto- mean? Crypto- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “hidden, secret.” It is used in many scientific, medical, and other technical terms. Crypto- comes from the Greek kryptós, meaning “hidden.” The word crypt also derives from this root. Dig up the connection at our entry for the word. In anatomy, crypto- specifically refers to a crypt in its specialized sense of a “slender pit or recess” or a “small glandular cavity.”What are variants of crypto-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, crypto- becomes crypt-, as in cryptitis.

Etymology

Origin of crypto¹

First recorded in 1945–50; probably independent use of crypto-; cf. -o

Origin of crypto-²

Combining form representing Greek kryptós hidden. See crypt

Example Sentences

The agency also dropped Gensler’s cases against crypto firms, including Coinbase and Kraken.

From Barron's • Apr. 18, 2026

Diplomacy now has a live-market feed, one that operates on a 24-hour crypto exchange with no circuit breaker and is visible simultaneously to every government, hedge fund, and sanctions-compliance desk on earth.

From Barron's • Apr. 18, 2026

Another role crypto is playing in the war is genuinely novel, and it complicates the mediations in Pakistan in a different register.

From Barron's • Apr. 18, 2026

The 233-year-old New York Stock Exchange is going all in on crypto.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

“After university I went straight to work as a crypto math researcher at the Doughnut,” she said.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti