cryptography
noun
cryp·tog·ra·phy
krip-ˈtä-grə-fē 
1
: secret writing
2
: the enciphering and deciphering of messages in secret code or cipher
also
: the computerized encoding and decoding of information
3
Did you know?
For a word having to do with secrets, cryptography has a surprisingly transparent origin. The word comes from Greek kryptós, meaning "hidden" or "secret," and graphein, meaning "to write." Besides the familiar related words of the same origin, such as cryptic, there is krypton, the name of a colorless gaseous element used especially in some fluorescent lamps and photography flashes. The name was chosen because the gas is rare and hard to find.
Examples of cryptography in a Sentence
Companies often use cryptography to protect private information.
Recent Examples on the Web
Be proactive about investing in educating and training your team in the skills of the future, including in cryptography and zero-knowledge proof technology.
—
Oluwaseun Dania, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Turing, a renowned mathematician and computer scientist whose work in cryptography was essential to cracking the German Enigma code during World War II, is widely considered to be the creator of modern computing.
—Max Hauptman, USA TODAY, 22 Oct. 2024
This is now important for, among other things, quantum cryptography, which takes advantage of the fact that encrypted messages cannot be copied without also being corrupted.
—Shayla Love, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2024
Post-quantum cryptography Advances in quantum computing will make many types of conventional cryptography unsafe by 2029, Gartner says.
—Peter High, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
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Oluwaseun Dania, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Turing, a renowned mathematician and computer scientist whose work in cryptography was essential to cracking the German Enigma code during World War II, is widely considered to be the creator of modern computing.
—Max Hauptman, USA TODAY, 22 Oct. 2024
This is now important for, among other things, quantum cryptography, which takes advantage of the fact that encrypted messages cannot be copied without also being corrupted.
—Shayla Love, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2024
Post-quantum cryptography Advances in quantum computing will make many types of conventional cryptography unsafe by 2029, Gartner says.
—Peter High, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cryptography
Dictionary Entries Near cryptography
Cite this Entry
“Cryptography.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cryptography. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cryptography
noun
cryp·tog·ra·phy
krip-ˈtäg-rə-fē
: the coding and decoding of secret messages or digital information
cryptographer
noun
-fər
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