cryptography

/krɪpˈtɑgrəfi/

Other forms: cryptographies

Cryptography is the art or science of decoding coded messages. Even if you intercept a note from one of your siblings to the other, it's going to require cryptography to decipher it.

When you practice cryptography, you're an expert at both composing and unraveling messages that are written in some kind of code to ensure their privacy. In the old days, cryptography meant translating text into illegible nonsense that could only be understood by the recipient, and then decoding it using a code key or instructions. Today, most cryptography involves supercomputers and math. The Greek roots are kryptos, "hidden," and graphia, "writing."

Definitions of cryptography

1. noun

   the science of analyzing and deciphering codes and ciphers and cryptograms
   synonyms: cryptanalysis, cryptanalytics, cryptology

   type of:

   science, scientific discipline

   a particular branch of scientific knowledge
2. noun

   act of writing in code or cipher
   synonyms: coding, secret writing, steganography

   types:

   encoding, encryption

   the activity of converting data or information into code

   recoding

   converting from one code to another

   decipherment, decoding, decryption

   the activity of making clear or converting from code into plain text

   compression

   encoding information while reducing the bandwidth or bits required

   decompression

   restoring compressed information to its normal form for use or display

   data encryption

   (computer science) the encryption of data for security purposes

   type of:

   committal to writing, writing

   the activity of putting something in written form