Main Entry: cryp·tic

Pronunciation: \ˈkrip-tik\

Function: adjective

Etymology: Late Latin crypticus, from Greek kryptikos, from kryptos

Date: circa 1638

1 : secret, occult
2 a : having or seeming to have a hidden or ambiguous meaning : mysterious <cryptic messages> b : marked by an often perplexing brevity <cryptic marginal notes>
3 : serving to conceal <cryptic coloration in animals>; also : exhibiting cryptic coloration <cryptic animals>
4 : not recognized <a cryptic infection>
5 : employing cipher or code

synonyms see obscure

— cryp·ti·cal·ly \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb