Meanings
nouncryptography (usually uncountable, plural cryptographies)
plural cryptographies
- uncountableusuallyThe discipline that embodies the principles, means, and methods for transforming data to hide its semantic content, prevent unauthorized use, or detect modifications, while also ensuring information security through confidentiality, integrity, authentication, and nonrepudiation.
Holonym: cryptology
2 more examples
We might abate...the strange cryptography of Gaffarell in his Starrie Booke of Heaven.
1658, Sir Thomas Browne (first use in English)[A] man named Satoshi Nakamoto posted a research paper to an obscure cryptography listserv describing his design for a new digital currency that he called bitcoin.
2011 November 23, Benjamin Wallace, “The Rise and Fall of Bitcoin”, in Wired, San Francisco, Calif.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 02 Jan 2025
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthe science of analyzing and deciphering codes and ciphers and cryptograms
Broader
sciencescientific discipline
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekκρῠπτογρᾰφῐ́ᾱ
- Latincryptographia
- Englishcryptography
Borrowed from Latin cryptographia, itself borrowed from Ancient Greek κρῠπτογρᾰφῐ́ᾱ (krŭptogrăphĭ́ā). By surface analysis, crypto- + -graphy.
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans kriptografie
- kriptografiediscipline concerned with communication security
Ancient Greek κρῠπτογρᾰφῐ́ᾱ
- κρῠπτογρᾰφῐ́ᾱ (krŭptogrăphĭ́ā)discipline concerned with communication security
Arabic عِلْم اَلتَشْفِير
- عِلْم اَلتَشْفِير (ʕilm at-tašfīr)discipline concerned with communication security
Bulgarian криптография
- криптография (kriptografija)discipline concerned with communication security
Catalan criptografia
- criptografiadiscipline concerned with communication security
Chinese Cantonese 密碼學 /密码学
- 密碼學 /密码学 (mat⁶ maa⁵ hok⁶)discipline concerned with communication security
Chinese Mandarin 密碼學 /密码学
- 密碼學 /密码学 (mìmǎxué)discipline concerned with communication security
Czech kryptografie
- kryptografiediscipline concerned with communication security
Danish kryptografi
- kryptografidiscipline concerned with communication security
Dutch cryptografie, geheimschrift
- cryptografiediscipline concerned with communication security
- geheimschriftdiscipline concerned with communication security
Esperanto kriptografio
- kriptografiodiscipline concerned with communication security
Finnish kryptografia, salakirjoitustaito
- kryptografiadiscipline concerned with communication security
- salakirjoitustaitodiscipline concerned with communication security
French cryptographie
- cryptographiediscipline concerned with communication security
German Kryptographie
- Kryptographiediscipline concerned with communication security
Greek κρυπτογραφία
- κρυπτογραφία (kryptografía)discipline concerned with communication security
Hindi गूढ़लेखन
- गूढ़लेखन (gūṛhlekhan)discipline concerned with communication security
Hungarian kriptográfia
- kriptográfiadiscipline concerned with communication security
Icelandic dulritunarfræði
- dulritunarfræðidiscipline concerned with communication security
Indonesian kriptografi
- kriptografidiscipline concerned with communication security
Irish cripteagrafaíocht
- cripteagrafaíochtdiscipline concerned with communication security
Italian crittografia
- crittografiadiscipline concerned with communication security
Japanese 暗号論
- 暗号論 (angōron)discipline concerned with communication security
Korean 암호학
- 암호학 (amhohak)discipline concerned with communication security
Latin cryptographia
- cryptographiadiscipline concerned with communication security
Latvian kriptogrāfija
- kriptogrāfijadiscipline concerned with communication security
Lithuanian kriptografija
- kriptografijadiscipline concerned with communication security
Persian رمزنگاری
- رمزنگاری (ramz-negâri)discipline concerned with communication security
Polish kryptografia
- kryptografiadiscipline concerned with communication security
Portuguese criptografia
- criptografiadiscipline concerned with communication security
Romanian criptografie
- criptografiediscipline concerned with communication security
Russian криптогра́фия
- криптогра́фия (kriptográfija)discipline concerned with communication security
Spanish criptografía
- criptografíadiscipline concerned with communication security
Swedish kryptografi
- kryptografidiscipline concerned with communication security
Thai วิทยาการรหัสลับ
- วิทยาการรหัสลับ (wít-tá-yaa-gaan-rá-hàt-láp)discipline concerned with communication security
Turkish kriptografi
- kriptografidiscipline concerned with communication security
Ukrainian криптогра́фія
- криптогра́фія (kryptohráfija)discipline concerned with communication security
Vietnamese mật mã học
- mật mã họcdiscipline concerned with communication security
Welsh cryptograffeg
- cryptograffegdiscipline concerned with communication security
Yiddish קריפּטאָגראַפֿיע
- קריפּטאָגראַפֿיע (kriptografye)discipline concerned with communication security
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with cryptography
photographybiographygeographybibliographypornographyfilmographydiscographyautobiographychromatographytopographyradiographytomographyoceanographytypographychoreographymammographycinematographyvideographycartographydemographyangiographylithographycrystallographyechocardiography
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
cryptography. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cryptography
MLA
“cryptography.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cryptography. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cryptography,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cryptography.
Source: cryptography on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.