Meaning
4 senses(dated, intransitive, regional)To calculate.
I never learned much more than how to read and cipher.
(intransitive)To write in code or cipher.
(intransitive)Of an organ pipe: to sound independent of the organ.
(obsolete)To decipher.
- make a mathematical calculation or computation
- convert ordinary language into code
Examples
5 sentencesMy best guess is it needs an asymmetric cipher.
Моє найкраще припущення - потрібен асиметричний шифр. — ochern
The information may be given in cipher.
Tom was writing cryptic notes in a cipher.
Tom created a new cipher.
ruТом составил новый шифр. — ZegPhig
The malware was stealing private encryption keys and private encryption certificates used to cipher connections and locally stored data.
Origin
14th century. From Middle English cifre, from Old French cyfre, cyffre (French chiffre), u14th 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.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
ciphers, ciphering, ciphered, cipheredSynonyms
11 synonymsWord family
3 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle