crypto
noun
a person who secretly supports or adheres to a group, party, or belief.
crypto
1 American
[krip-toh]
/ ˈkrɪp toʊ /
noun
-
cryptos
plural
-
a person who secretly supports or adheres to a group, party, or belief.
adjective
crypto-
2
American
crypto-
British
combining form
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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Its crypto business also remains mired in a yearlong slump.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Janus has onboarded about 200 crypto wallets to its tokenized fund platform and plans to launch more tokenized funds, according to Nick Cherney, head of innovation at Janus Henderson.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
You understand markets generally while you’re learning about crypto markets specifically.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
Commodity Futures Trading Commission, who’s also known as “CryptoDad,” says he does not directly own any crypto.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
“After university I went straight to work as a crypto math researcher at the Doughnut,” she said.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
However, 80,000 bitcoins sit untouched in a now famous crypto- wallet address starting with '1Feex'.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2024
Block, the payments company led by Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter, has long been a crypto- backer.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2024
Tomorrow’s crypto- and blockchain-enhanced internet may achieve the same for value.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 5, 2022
That’s part of the reason for the crypto- prefix that shows up on words like “cryptocurrency.”
From The Verge ● Sep. 9, 2021
Her obsessive pursuit of a crypto- archaeological item is solidly in the “Raiders” playbook as well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 14, 2018
Giancarlo: With bitcoin, uniquely among all these cryptos, it also is a debasement trade.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
“The charts of bitcoin, and other leading cryptos, continue to look encouraging from a technical point of view,” David Morrison, senior market analyst at Trade Nation, said in recent emailed notes to clients.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
The world’s largest crypto by total market capitalization did get some good news as investor Cathie Wood’s ARK funds continued to bet big on stocks exposed to cryptos.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
One problem for cryptos is that liquidity has dried up, because other risk-on assets have offered sizable returns in recent weeks.
From Barron's ● May 7, 2026
S&P500 and Nasdaq futures indexes each edged higher early Tuesday, by 0.3% and 0.4%, respectively alongside cryptos, which tend to reflect broad risk appetite.
From Barron's ● Apr. 21, 2026
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
