definitions

plaintext

[ pleyn-tekst ]
/ ˈpleɪnˌtɛkst /
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR plaintext ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the intelligible original message of a cryptogram, as opposed to the coded or enciphered version.

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RELATED WORDS

ASCII, plaintext

Nearby words

plains of abraham, plainsman, plainsong, plainstones, plaint, plaintext, plaintiff, plaintive, plaintively, plainview, plainville
Compare cryptography.

Origin of plaintext

First recorded in 1915–20; plain1 + text
Also called clear text.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for plain text

plain text

noun

telecomm a message set in a directly readable form rather than in coded groups
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012