Cipher Once Meant Zero, and Then Meant Nobody
A cipher is a code. The word came from the Arabic for zero, which is why it also means a person of no importance.
A cipher is a method of disguising a message, and also the disguised message itself. The word began as zero: Arabic *sifr* meant empty, and it gave European languages both *cipher* and *zero*. Because zero seemed mysterious to medieval Europeans, cipher came to mean any hidden writing — and separately, a person who counts for nothing.
- A secret code. *Written in cipher.*
- Zero (archaic). *A row of ciphers.*
- A person of no importance. *A mere cipher.*
- To encode. *Cipher the message.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | cipher | A simple cipher. |
| Plural | ciphers | Broken ciphers. |
| Verb | cipher | Cipher the text. |
| Opposite | decipher | Decipher the note. |
| Related | zero | Absolute zero. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The message was in cipher.Encoded.
- He was a cipher in the negotiations.Counted for nothing.
- Cipher and zero are the same word.Both from Arabic *sifr*.
Cipher and code
- Cipher — works on letters or bits, mechanically
- Code — replaces whole words or phrases with substitutes
- Caesar cipher — shifting each letter a fixed distance
- Substitution cipher — each letter replaced by another
- Enigma — the German machine cipher broken at Bletchley Park
From Medieval Latin *cifra*, from Arabic *sifr*, empty or zero. The same word gave French *chiffre* and English *zero* through Italian.
Cipher or code?
A cipher transforms individual letters or bits. A code replaces whole words or phrases with other words.
Why does cipher also mean nobody?
Because it originally meant zero, and a person who counts for nothing is a zero.