Polybius square

noun

A character code represented by two sets of six lit torches, used to send messages character by character, in a two point visual fire telegraph. The character code is generated by encoding characters in a grid, where each character generates two numbers, uniquely representing each character as a pair of numbers.

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Meanings

nounPolybius square (plural Polybius squares)

plural Polybius squares

  1. historicalcommunicationsA character code represented by two sets of six lit torches, used to send messages character by character, in a two point visual fire telegraph. The character code is generated by encoding characters in a grid, where each character generates two numbers, uniquely representing each character as a pair of numbers.
  2. computingA grid used for fractionating plaintext characters so that they can be represented by a smaller set of symbols.

Origin

From Polybius + square (“grid”). It was invented by the Ancient Greek historian and scholar Polybius.

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Cite this entry
APA

Polybius square. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Polybius%20square

MLA

“Polybius square.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Polybius%20square. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Polybius square,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Polybius%20square.

Source: Polybius square on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.