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cryptologist

cryptologist

1 9.6
A person who studies and breaks secret codes
  • noun
  • /krɪpˈtɑlədʒɪst/
  • Specialized
translation icon : criptólogo
  • In memory of Polish cryptologists and their co-workers: they broke the Enigma ciphers, thereby contributing to the victory of Allied forces in the Second World War.
  • a French cryptologist

Examples

  • You were employed by SETI as a cryptologist.

  • The team hired a cryptologist to ensure their data was secure from unauthorized access.

  • He ended up working for SETI as a decoding cryptologist.

  • Cryptologists determine if a valid communication's been received... and then they try and decipher and interpret it.

  • Efficient as a beehive—agents, cryptologists, and support staff buzz at their routines.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • A skilled cryptologist can decode messages that seem impossible to understand.

  • During the war, the cryptologist played a crucial role in encrypting military communications.

Synonyms

cryptographer
vscryptologist
  • Specialized
4 8.7

A person who makes or breaks secret codes

emphasizes study and analysis rather than also creating systems
cryptanalyst
vscryptologist
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A person who decodes secret messages and breaks codes

focuses on study and wider analysis beyond only breaking messages
codebreaker
vscryptologist
1 4.6

A person, machine, or program that finds the meaning of secret messages

is concerned with scholarly study and analysis, not just practical decoding
decipherer
vscryptologist
7.4

A person who reads and understands secret or hard-to-read writing

focuses on technical study of codes rather than general readable texts

Surface Forms

cryptologist singular
cryptologists plural

Morphology

cryptologist = cryptology (transparent) = crypt + log + ist

The suffix '-ist' clearly indicates a person who practices or is concerned with something, in this case, cryptology.

Etymology

The word cryptologist starts with crypt- meaning 'hidden', the same root as cryptic, and ends with -logist meaning 'one who studies', like in biologist. So a cryptologist is someone who studies hidden messages and codes.