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encryption

UK/ɪŋˈkɹɪpʃən/US/ɪnˈkɹɪpʃən/
nounB2+Common in everyday speech and writing · #6,605 of 15,258neutral

Encryption is scrambling data into a code that only the right key can unlock. Strong encryption, end-to-end encryption, encryption key.

End-to-end encryption means only the two people talking can read the messages — not even the company carrying them — and it is the subject of a long argument between privacy and policing. The lock on a browser's address bar is encryption in transit. Note encrypt, decrypt; and that the strength of modern encryption rests on mathematics rather than on secrecy about the method.

Johannes Landin · CC BY-SA 3.0

Definitions of encryption

  1. 1nounencryptionScrambling data into a code only the right key can unlock.B2+

    “Online banking uses encryption to keep your details safe from hackers.”

encryption is a method of securing data.

Where it comes from

  1. Ancient Greek

    εἶμι

  2. English

    ion

  3. English, today

    encryption

Built from

  • εἶμι · Ancient Greek — I go

From encrypt + -ion. ion comes from Ancient Greek εἶμι. From the ending of anion and cation, which in turn is from Ancient Greek ἰόν (“going”), neuter present participle of εἶμι (“I go”). coined by William Whewell in 1834 for Michael Faraday, who introduced it later that year.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Technology & Internet, Computing & Code

Practise this word

encryption in the wild

  • The publication of an NSA-approved encryption standard led to its quick international adoption and widespread academic scrutiny.

    Data Encryption Standard

  • Modern encryption schemes use the concepts of public-key and symmetric-key.

    Encryption

  • Breaking RSA encryption is known as the RSA problem.

    RSA cryptosystem

  • End-to-end encryption (E2EE) is a method of implementing a secure communication system where only the sender and intended recipient can read the messages.

    End-to-end encryption

  • End-to-end encryption prevents data from being read or secretly modified, except by the sender and intended recipients.

    End-to-end encryption

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.