Science & TechnologyGreek → English
Cryptocurrency
/ˈkrɪptoʊˌkɜrənsi/noun
A digital currency secured by cryptography and recorded on a distributed ledger.
The Greek roots
κρυπτός
kryptós
hidden, covered
Literally: “hidden money”
Follow a root:κρυπτός4 words
The story of the word
Half Greek, half Latin. Κρυπτός meant hidden or covered, used of buried things and secret places, while currency descends from Latin currere, to run. The Greek half points at the cryptography that secures the ledger, not at secrecy of ownership: most blockchains publish every transaction by design.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → English (with Latin second element)
- First recorded
- 2011
Same family
cryptographycryptapocryphaencrypt
In a sentence
He paid the invoice in cryptocurrency and the fee ate most of the discount.