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cinnamon stone
cinque
Cinque Ports
cinquecento
cinquefoil
CIO
cioppino
Cipango
cipher
ciphertext
cipolin
Cipro
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ciprofloxacin
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circa
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cipher

ci·pher [ sfər ] or cy·pher [ sfər ]


noun  (plural ci·phers) (plural cy·phers)
Definition:
 
1. written code: a written code in which the letters of a text are replaced with others according to a system

2. code key: the key to a cipher

3. text in code: a text written in cipher

4. design design of interlacing initials: a decorative design consisting of a set of interlaced initials

5. music fault in organ valve: a fault in an organ valve that causes a pipe to sound continuously without the key having been pressed



verb  (past and past participle ci·phered, present participle ci·pher·ing, 3rd person present singular ci·phers) (past and past participle cy·phered, present participle cy·pher·ing, 3rd person present singular cy·phers)
Definition:
 
1. transitive verb write in code: to write a text or message in cipher

2. intransitive verb music sound owing to fault: to sound continuously because of a faulty valve ( refers to organs or organ pipes )

[14th century. Via Old French cif(f)re< Arabic ṣifr "zero"]
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