cryptic

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day on February 28, 2025, was "cryptic." Cryptic means having or seeming to have a hidden meaning, making it difficult to understand. The word's origin is the Greek "krýptein," meaning "to hide or conceal." This Greek root also gave rise to words like "crypt" and "krypton." The word's usage is illustrated by an example from a Los Angeles Times article. The article discusses a cryptic marketing campaign for a film. The campaign used hidden clues for viewers to solve. Cryptic messages are often intentionally ambiguous. Other related words include cryptogram and cryptography, both relating to secret codes. The term also extends to cryptocurrency, highlighting its reliance on encryption for security.