Cardan grille

noun

A sheet of card or thin metal, etc., used in composing secret messages. The words of the message are written through a number of holes cut arbitrarily in the sheet, and the remaining paper is then filled with irrelevant words to disguise it.

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Meanings

nounCardan grille (plural Cardan grilles)

plural Cardan grilles

  1. computingA sheet of card or thin metal, etc., used in composing secret messages. The words of the message are written through a number of holes cut arbitrarily in the sheet, and the remaining paper is then filled with irrelevant words to disguise it.

Origin

Proposed in 1550 by Girolamo Cardano (1501-1576), known in French as Jérôme Cardan.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Cardan grille. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cardan%20grille

MLA

“Cardan grille.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cardan%20grille. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Cardan grille,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cardan%20grille.

Source: Cardan grille on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.