Where does “cipher” come from?
Cipher comes from Middle English cifre, from Old French cyfre, from Medieval Latin cifra, from Arabic صفر meaning "empty," from Sanskrit शून्य meaning "void," from Proto-Indo-European ḱówH-.
cipher (English): A numeric character; Any text character; A...
Definitions
- A numeric character; Any text character; A...
Ancestry of “cipher”, step by step
cipher traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English cifre
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | cifre | The mathematical symbol or figure 0, representing... |
| 2 | Old French | cyfre | — |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | cifra | zero, numeral; numeral, cipher; zero |
| 4 | Arabic | صِفْر | zero, nothing, empty, void; nothing, cipher;... |
| 5 | Sanskrit | शून्य | zero; cipher, cypher; blank, deserted |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱówH- | — |
via Latin cifra
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | cifra | numeral, cipher; zero |