See Also: cryptic(medicine)
Cryptic(health)
cryptic(dictionary)
cryptic(dictionary)
cryptic plasmid(medicine)

cryptic (iou)



cryptic noun & adjective. E17.
[Late Latin crypticus from Greek kruptikos, from krupte: see CRYPT, -IC.]
A. noun.
A secret method. Only in E17.
A cryptogrammic puzzle. M20.
b. adjective.
Secret, mystical; mysterious; obscure in meaning; enigmatic. E17.
F. W. Crofts 'It just shows. You never know'; with which rather cryptic remark the interview closed. C. S. Lewis That cryptic knight who comes and goes we know not whence or whither. J. T. Story Covered in cryptic figures and names, like a code.
b. Of a crossword (clue): indicating the answer(s) in a way that is not straightforward. M20.
Zoology. Of markings, coloration, etc.: serving to camouflage an animal etc. in its natural environment. L19.
cryptical adjective = CRYPTIC adjective 1 E17.
cryptically adverb L17.