Standard Lemma guide

encryption

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Canada, US: /ɪnˈkɹɪpʃən/
  • Canada, US: /ɛnˈkɹɪpʃən/
  • UK: /ɪŋˈkɹɪpʃən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: EH0 N K R IH1 P SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The process of obscuring information to make it unreadable without special knowledge, key files, or passwords.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Topics: computing, cryptography, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A ciphertext, a cryptogram, an encrypted value. Usually used with the preposition "of" followed by the value that is hidden in it.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Topics: computing, cryptography, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

the activity of converting data or information into code

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: encoding

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cryptography, coding, secret writing, steganography

Narrower terms: compression, data encryption

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English encrypt Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiōlbor. Old French -ationbor. Middle English -acioun English -ation English -ion English encryption From encrypt + -ion.

Across languages

Translations

31 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: encriptació — process
  • Chinese Mandarin: 加密 (jiāmì) — process
  • Czech: šifrování — process
  • Czech: zašifrování — process
  • Danish: kryptering — process
  • Esperanto: ĉifrado — process
  • Finnish: salaus — process
  • Finnish: salakirjoitus — process
  • French: chiffrement — process
  • Georgian: დაშიფვრა (dašipvra) — process
  • German: Verschlüsselung — process
  • Greek: κρυπτογράφηση (kryptográfisi) — process
  • Indonesian: enkripsi — process
  • Italian: cifratura — process
  • Italian: codifica — process
  • Japanese: 暗号化 (angōka) — process
  • Korean: 암호화 (amhohwa) — process
  • Lithuanian: šifravimas — process
  • Lithuanian: kriptografija — process
  • Malay: penyulitan — process
  • Persian: رمزگذاری (ramz-gozâri) — process
  • Polish: szyfrowanie — process
  • Portuguese: encriptação — process
  • Romanian: criptare — process
  • Russian: шифрова́ние (šifrovánije) — process
  • Russian: шифро́вка (šifróvka) — process
  • Spanish: encriptación — process
  • Swedish: kryptering — process
  • Danish: kryptering — something encrypted
  • Finnish: salakirjoitus — something encrypted
  • Indonesian: enkripsi — something encrypted
Real reading context

encryption in complete knowledge articles