cryptograph

[ krip-tuh-graf, -grahf ]

noun

1. cryptogram ( def 1 ).
2. a system of secret writing; cipher.
3. a device for translating clear text into cipher.

cryptograph

/ -ˌɡrɑːf; ˈkrɪptəʊˌɡræf /

noun

1. something written in code or cipher
2. a code using secret symbols ( cryptograms )
3. a device for translating text into cipher, or vice versa

Word History and Origins

Origin of cryptograph¹

First recorded in 1635–45; crypto- + -graph

Example Sentences

The “unbreakable” Pletts Cryptograph relied in part on keyword ciphers, a type of substitution cipher.

From Literature

The Pletts Cryptograph raised the bar because it combined two keyword ciphers.

From Literature

One of the best examples of this involved a new British coding device called a Pletts Cryptograph.

From Literature

A cryptograph used to manually code and decode messages—technology that was decades out-of-date by 2000.

From Slate

There are the cherished baths, where Dilly solved his cryptograph ic riddles and Eddie planned the next week's Punch.

From Time Magazine Archive

Related Words

• cipher