Plural of cipher: secret codes or systems of writing, or people/things of no importance or value.
From Arabic 'şifr' meaning 'empty' or 'zero,' via Old French 'chiffre.' The term originally meant the numeral zero, then evolved to mean any symbol used in secret writing, and metaphorically, any worthless person.
The number zero changed history, but its name came from Arabic mathematicians who first truly understood it—and those same Arabic words gave us 'cipher,' connecting mathematics, cryptography, and the idea of 'nothingness' all at once!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.