Webster's English Dictionary

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cipher

Cross references:
  1. code                  
 
1. ci.pher \'si--f*r\ n [ME, fr. MF cifre, fr. ML cifra, fr. Ar 
   ssub-dot>ifr] often attrib empty, cipher, zero 1a: the symbol 0 denoting 
   the absence of all magnitude or quantity : Z ERO 1b: an insignificant 
   individual : NONENTITY  2a: a method of transforming a text in order to 
   conceal its meaning  2b: a message in code  3: an Arabic numeral  4: a 
   combination of symbolic letters; esp : the interwoven initials  of a name
2. cipher \-f(*-)rin\ vb or ci.pher.ing : to use figures in a mathematical 
   process  1: ENCIPHER  2: to compute arithmetically