cipher

CEFRB2

/ˈsaɪfə/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A secret way of writing or changing messages.

  2. 02

    noun

    A person or thing with no importance or influence.

Examples

  • The information may be given in cipher.

  • Tom was writing cryptic notes in a cipher.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A combination or interweaving of letters, as the initials of a name.

  2. Any text character.

  3. A numeric character.

More examples

In context

  • The message was written in a simple cipher. Anyone could figure it out.

  • a painter's cipher

  • an engraver's cipher

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The spy decoded the secret message using a complex numeric blank.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

14th century. From Middle English cifre, from Old French cyfre, cyffre (French chiffre), ultimately from Arabic صِفْر (ṣifr, “zero, empty”), from صَفَرَ (ṣafara, “to be empty”). Doublet of chiffre and zero. Sense 8 (a fault in an organ valve) may be a different word.