[a. mod.L. cryptographia, f. Gr. κρυπτός hidden + -γραφία writing: see -GRAPHY.] A secret manner of writing, either by arbitrary characters, by using letters or characters in other than their ordinary sense, or by other methods intelligible only to those possessing the key; also anything written in this way.
[1641. Wilkins, Mercury, ii. (1707), 8. There are also different Ways of Secresy. 1. Cryptologia. 2. Cryptographia. 3. Semæologia.]
1658. Sir T. Browne, Gard. Cyrus, iii. The strange Cryptography of Gaffarell in his Starry Book of Heaven.
1780. Von Troil, Iceland, 300. Our gravers of runes even made use of this cryptography in monuments.
1855. Chamb. Jrnl., IV. 134. These decipherers gave the high-sounding names of Cryptography, Cryptology … to their art.
