Main Entry: 1ci·pher
Pronunciation: 'sI-f&r
Function: noun
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French cifre, from Medieval Latin cifra, from Arabic sifr empty, cipher, zero

1 a : ZERO 1a b : one that has no weight, worth, or influence : NONENTITY
2 a : a method of transforming a text in order to conceal its meaning -- compare CODE 3b b : a message in code
3 : ARABIC NUMERAL
4 : a combination of symbolic letters; especially : the interwoven initials of a name

Main Entry: 2cipher
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): ci·phered; ci·pher·ing /-f(&-)ri[ng]/
intransitive senses : to use figures in a mathematical process
transitive senses
1 : ENCIPHER
2 : to compute arithmetically