crypto

1 of 2

noun

cryp·​to ˈkrip-(ˌ)tō 

plural cryptos

1

: a person who adheres or belongs secretly to a party, sect, or other group

And jaws dropped, he said, when he explained the theory that Christopher Columbus was a "crypto" or hidden Jew.

—Kim Vo

2

: cryptography sense 2

3

: cryptocurrency

A specialty finance firm … is the first to offer brokers the option to get their commissions paid up front, in crypto, underscoring how digital coins are becoming a more mainstream part of financial transactions.

—Jennifer Schonberger

—often used before another noun

crypto assets

the crypto market

crypto-

2 of 2

combining form

variants or before a vowel crypt-

1

: hidden : covered

cryptogenic

2

: hidden by dissembling : unavowed

crypto-fascist

3

: cryptographic

cryptanalysis

Examples of crypto in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Over recent months, crypto has come to play an increasingly prominent role in US politics, culminating in the recent 2024 Bitcoin Conference in Nashville. —Nimrod Lehavi, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024

What does the crypto industry want to hear from Harris? —Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 16 Aug. 2024

Yes, but: With so many crypto leaders avowedly on Team Trump and the wind at her back, conciliating crypto sounds chancy. —Brady Dale, Axios, 13 Aug. 2024

Since then, following a massive downturn in crypto prices and all three companies either bankrupt or mired in scandal, crypto was completely absent from the 2023 and 2024 Super Bowls. —Rebecca Jennings, Vox, 7 Aug. 2024

Robinhood , which has a crypto trading business, fell 9%. —Pia Singh, CNBC, 5 Aug. 2024

What the crypto camp typically fails to acknowledge is that, for Americans outside of that shrinking cadre of holders, crypto emits a foul stench. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2024

Also inflating losses: the increasing speed with which funds are moved–from bank account to bank account, out of the U.S., or into crypto. —Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2024

Harris has maintained a strategic silence on crypto. —Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 16 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

(sense 1) independent use of crypto-; (senses 2 & 3) by shortening

Combining form

combining form from Greek kryptós "hidden, secret" — more at crypt

First Known Use

Noun

1946, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

crypto

noun

cryp·​to ˈkrip-(ˌ)tō 

: cryptosporidium sense 2

also : cryptosporidiosis