ci·pher /ˈsaɪfɚ/
 零,暗號,密碼,無用的東西,阿拉伯數字(vt.)(vi.)計算,做算術
 cipher
 密碼 加密
 Ci·pher n.
 1. Arith. A character [0] which, standing by itself, expresses nothing, but when placed at the right hand of a whole number, increases its value tenfold.
 2. One who, or that which, has no weight or influence.
    Here he was a mere cipher.   --W. Irving.
 3. A character in general, as a figure or letter. [Obs.]
    This wisdom began to be written in ciphers and characters and letters bearing the forms of creatures.   --Sir W. Raleigh.
 4. A combination or interweaving of letters, as the initials of a name; a device; a monogram; as, a painter's cipher, an engraver's cipher, etc.  The cut represents the initials N. W.
 5. A private alphabet, system of characters, or other mode of writing, contrived for the safe transmission of secrets; also, a writing in such characters.
    His father . . . engaged him when he was very young to write all his letters to England in cipher.   --Bp. Burnet.
 Cipher key, a key to assist in reading writings in cipher.
 Ci·pher, a. Of the nature of a cipher; of no weight or influence. “Twelve cipher bishops.”
 Ci·pher, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Ciphered p. pr. & vb. n. Ciphering.] To use figures in a mathematical process; to do sums in arithmetic.
    'T was certain he could write and cipher too.   --Goldsmith.
 Ci·pher, v. t.
 1. To write in occult characters.
    His notes he ciphered with Greek characters.   --Hayward.
 2. To get by ciphering; as, to cipher out the answer.
 3. To decipher. [Obs.]
 4. To designate by characters. [Obs.]
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 cipher
      n 1: a message written in a secret code [syn: cypher]
      2: a mathematical element that when added to another number
         yields the same number [syn: zero, 0, nought, cypher]
      3: a quantity of no importance; "it looked like nothing I had
         ever seen before"; "reduced to nil all the work we had
         done"; "we racked up a pathetic goose egg"; "it was all
         for naught"; "I didn't hear zilch about it" [syn: nothing,
          nil, nix, nada, null, aught, cypher, goose
         egg, naught, zero, zilch, zip]
      4: a person of no influence [syn: cypher, nobody, nonentity]
      5: a secret method of writing [syn: cypher, cryptograph, secret
         code]
      v 1: convert ordinary language into code; "We should encode the
           message for security reasons" [syn: encode, code, encipher,
            cypher, encrypt, inscribe, write in code] [ant:
            decode]
      2: make a mathematical calculation or computation [syn: calculate,
          cypher, compute, work out, reckon, figure]