encryption

[ en-krip-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act or practice of converting messages into cipher or code:

   During World War II, the encryption process involved code tables and a machine.

2. Computers. the act or practice of changing digital data into a form that cannot be read without converting it back using a unique key:

   Though its data encryption is strong, the app has other security flaws exploited by hackers.

encryption

1. The process of encoding a message so that it can be read only by the sender and the intended recipient. Encryption systems often use two keys, a public key, available to anyone, and a private key that allows only the recipient to decode the message. ( See also cryptography .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of encryption¹

First recorded in 1940–45; 1960–65 encryption fordef 2; encrypt ( def ) + -ion ( def )

Example Sentences

Snowden contacted Poitras in mid-January 2013 after failing to connect with Greenwald due to his lack of encryption.

From The Daily Beast

And then Glenn finally got on encryption, came on a plane to New York, and off we went.

From The Daily Beast

With the Assange movie, there are sequences like the [Vincente] Minnelli-like visual explorations of an encryption system.

From The Daily Beast

In November 2013, well before U.S. bombs started falling, “ISIS did launch a Web-based encryption tool,” Ahlberg said.

From The Daily Beast

Instead of a lock and key, you get “strong encryption to protect evidence data in transit and at rest.”

From The Daily Beast