Origin: Greek suffix -ography
Cryptography has 3 different meanings across 1 category:
the science of analyzing and deciphering codes and ciphers and cryptograms
"After studying cryptography, she was able to crack the ancient merchant's secret ledger in just a few hours."
act of writing in code or cipher
"The spy spent hours practicing cryptography so he could safely send secret messages without fear of interception."
The discipline concerned with communication security (eg, confidentiality of messages, integrity of messages, sender authentication, non-repudiation of messages, and many other related issues), regardless of the used medium such as pencil and paper or computers.
"The museum curator explained that cryptography isn't just about digital codes on a computer but also refers to the historical discipline of securing physical letters with ciphers to ensure their confidentiality and authenticity."
The word comes from combining Greek roots meaning "secret" and "writing." It originally referred to the practice of writing messages in a way that only those with the key can read them.