cryptonym

English

Etymology

From crypto- (“hidden, secret”) +‎ -onym (“name”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈkɹɪp.təˌnɪm/

Noun

cryptonym (plural cryptonyms)

  1. A secret name, a code name.
    The spy was known only by his cryptonym, 'Shadow'.
    • 2026 September 13, Joseph Finder, “The Sexual Secret That Foiled a Communist Plot”, in The New York Times Book Review‎[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:
      MI6 code-named him REDWOOD. He stood over 6 feet 4 inches, a head taller than his case officer; the cryptonym was chosen for the world’s tallest tree (the standard rule that code names be unrevealing is, as Macintyre observes, ignored by every service on earth).
      (Can we archive this URL?)

Derived terms

Translations

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