cipher
UK: ˈsaɪfə | US: ˈsaɪfər
n. 1. A secret or disguised way of writing; a code.
n. 2. A person or thing of no importance.
n. 3. (Archaic) The mathematical symbol for zero (0).
cipher = ciph<zero> + er<noun suffix>
- ciph (from Arabic ṣifr "zero, empty")
- er (noun-forming suffix in English)
Etymology Origin:
The word "cipher" traces back to the Arabic ṣifr (صفر), meaning "zero" or "empty." It entered Medieval Latin as cifra, referring to the numeral zero, which was a groundbreaking concept in mathematics. Over time, the term evolved in European languages to denote coded writing (as codes often involved numerical substitutions). The sense of "a person of no importance" arose metaphorically from the idea of zero representing nothingness.
The spy transmitted the message in cipher to avoid detection.
He felt like a mere cipher in the vast corporate machine.
Ancient mathematicians used the cipher to revolutionize arithmetic.
The document was written in a complex cipher that took years to decode.
In cryptography, a strong cipher ensures secure communication.