Cypher
/ˈsaɪfər/noun
A variant spelling of cipher, meaning a secret code or a person or thing of little importance.
Did you know?Because zero was once viewed in Europe as a strange and threatening novelty, “cipher” later developed the figurative meaning “a person of no importance.”
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Sanskrit
Sanskrit
śūnya
“Empty, void, or lacking substance”
8th–9th Century
Arabic
ṣifr
“The empty numeral; zero, translated from the Sanskrit concept”
12th Century
Medieval Latin
cifra
“Zero and a numerical symbol”
13th–14th Century
Old French
cifre
“A numeral, especially zero; later a coded sign”
14th–15th Century
English
cifre/cipher
“A numerical symbol or secret writing system”
Modern English
English
cypher
“A variant spelling of cipher, used for codes and, figuratively, a nonentity”