— cipherable , adj. — cipherer , n.
/suy"feuhr/ , n.
1. zero.
2. any of the Arabic numerals or figures.
3. Arabic numerical notation collectively.
4. something of no value or importance.
5. a person of no influence; nonentity.
6. a secret method of writing, as by transposition or substitution of letters, specially formed symbols, or the like. Cf. cryptography .
7. writing done by such a method; a coded message.
8. the key to a secret method of writing.
9. a combination of letters, as the initials of a name, in one design; monogram.
v.i.
10. to use figures or numerals arithmetically.
11. to write in or as in cipher.
v.t.
12. to calculate numerically; figure.
13. to convert into cipher.
Also, esp. Brit., cypher .
[ 1350-1400; ME siphre ciphra sifr empty, zero; trans. of Skt sunya empty ]