Chiffre
/ˈʃiːf.ər/noun
A numeral or figure; in French, also a code or cipher.
Did you know?French chiffre comes from Arabic ṣifr, meaning “zero” or “empty,” the same root that gave English the word cipher and helped launch modern algebraic notation.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
PSem
“A word for emptiness or nothingness, reconstructed as the ancestor of Arabic ṣifr.”
Arabic
AR
ṣifr
“Zero; empty; nothing.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
cifra
“Zero; a numeral; later a secret code or cipher.”
Old French
Old French
chifre
“A numeral, figure, or cipher.”
Modern French
French
chiffre
“A number, figure, or code.”