CRYPTIC

cryptic

(adjective) having a puzzling terseness; “a cryptic note”

cabalistic, kabbalistic, qabalistic, cryptic, cryptical, sibylline

(adjective) having a secret or hidden meaning; “cabalistic symbols engraved in stone”; “cryptic writings”; “thoroughly sibylline in most of his pronouncements”- John Gunther

cryptic, cryptical, deep, inscrutable, mysterious, mystifying

(adjective) of an obscure nature; “the new insurance policy is written without cryptic or mysterious terms”; “a deep dark secret”; “the inscrutable workings of Providence”; “in its mysterious past it encompasses all the dim origins of life”- Rachel Carson; “rituals totally mystifying to visitors from other lands”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

cryptic (comparative more cryptic, superlative most cryptic)

Having hidden meaning.

Mystified or of an obscure nature.

Involving use of a code or cipher.

Of a crossword, or a clue in such a crossword, using, in addition to definitions, wordplay such as anagrams, homophones and hidden words to indicate solutions.

(zoology) Well camouflaged; having good camouflage.

(zoology) Serving as camouflage.

(biology, not comparable) Apparently identical, but actually genetically distinct.

(zoology) Living in a cavity or small cave.

Synonym: cryptozoic (less common)

Noun

cryptic (plural cryptics)

(informal) A cryptic crossword.

Source: Wiktionary


Cryp"tic (krp"tk), Cryp"tic*al (-t-kal), a. Etym: [L. crypticus, Gr.

Definition: Hidden; secret; occult. "Her [nature's] more cryptic ways of working." Glanvill.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

19 April 2025

CATCH

(verb) grasp with the mind or develop an understanding of; “did you catch that allusion?”; “We caught something of his theory in the lecture”; “don’t catch your meaning”; “did you get it?”; “She didn’t get the joke”; “I just don’t get him”


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Coffee Trivia

Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans, the seeds of berries from certain Coffea species. When coffee berries turn from green to bright red – indicating ripeness – they are picked, processed, and dried. Dried coffee seeds are roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor.

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