crypt-

combining form or crypto- also krypt- or krypto-

Etymology: New Latin, from Greek kryptos

1. : hidden : covered

cryptobranch

cryptoporticus

2. : invisible : latent

cryptocrystalline

cryptomere

3. : occult

cryptesthesia

4. : secret : private

cryptogram

cryptonym

5. : hidden by dissembling : unavowed

cryptofascist

cryptorationalism

* * *

crypt «krihpt», noun.

1. an underground room or vault. The crypt beneath the main floor of a church was formerly often used as a burial place.

2. Anatomy. a small tubular gland, cavity, or follicle.

3. Informal. a cryptogram.

╂[< Latin crypta < Greek krýptē vault < kryptós hidden. See etym. of doublet grotto. (Cf. ↑grotto)]

crypt-,

combining form. a variant of crypto- (Cf. ↑crypto-) before some vowels, as in cryptanalytic, cryptic.