Cryptography

 WORD OF THE DAY

cryptography / noun / krip-TAH-gruh-fee

Definition
1: secret writing
2a: the enciphering and deciphering of messages in secret code or cipher
2b: the computerized encoding and decoding of information
3: cryptanalysis

Examples
"Cryptocurrency is a digital currency designed to work as a medium of exchange that uses strong cryptography to secure financial transactions, control the creation of additional units and verify the transfer of assets."
 — Jacob Maslow, The Louisville (Kentucky) Cardinal, 2 Feb. 2022

Crypto legend—as in, cryptography, the original tech usage of the term—and Signal CEO Moxie Marlinspike has laid into the NFT/web3 craze, suggesting it’s rife with pyramid schemes.
— David Meyer, Fortune, 10 Jan. 2022

Did You Know?
For a word having to do with secrets, "cryptography" has a surprisingly transparent etymology.
The word traces back to the Greek roots kryptos, meaning "hidden," and graphein, meaning "to write." Kryptos - which in turn traces to the Greek verb kryptein, meaning "to hide" - is a root shared by several English words, including "crypt," "cryptic," and "encrypt."
"Krypton," the name of a colorless gaseous element used especially in some fluorescent lamps and photography flashes, also comes from "kryptos."
The name was chosen because the gas is rare and hard to find.