Where does “cryptic” come from?
Cryptic comes from Latin crypticus, from Ancient Greek κρυπτικός, derived from κρυπτός, the past participle of κρύπτω meaning to hide, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European krāu-.
cryptic (English): Having hidden meaning; Mystified or of an obscure...
Definitions
- Having hidden meaning; Mystified or of an obscure...
Ancestry of “cryptic”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | crypticus | — |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | κρυπτικός | obscuring |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | -τικός | relating to, suited to, skilled in, able to,... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -σις | Added to verb stems to form abstract nouns or... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -τις | retained after dentals |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -tis | Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots |