cryptic

[krip-tik] /ˈkrɪp tɪk/
adjective, Also, cryptical
1.
mysterious in meaning; puzzling; ambiguous:
a cryptic message.
2.
abrupt; terse; short:
a cryptic note.
3.
secret; occult:
a cryptic writing.
4.
involving or using cipher, code, etc.
5.
Zoology. fitted for concealing; serving to camouflage.
noun
6.
a cryptogram, especially one designed as a puzzle.
Origin
1595-1605; < Late Latin crypticus < Greek kryptikós hidden. See crypt, -ic
Related forms
cryptically, adverb
noncryptic, adjective
noncryptical, adjective
noncryptically, adverb
Synonyms
1. enigmatic, perplexing. See ambiguous.
Examples from the web for cryptic
  • Mathematical signs and symbols are often cryptic, but the best of them offer visual clues to their own meaning.
  • There are a few cryptic inscriptions on the wax discs and cylinders and some notes from past curators.
  • Sometimes, unfortunately, departmental reviews and faculty mentoring are cryptic or unhelpfully positive.
  • They carry clipboards, rosters on the clipboards, and typically they are writing cryptic notes on the player's performance.
  • The songs are overstuffed with cryptic slang and complex stories.
  • Most of them have cryptic coloring, are nocturnal, or are hidden in the high canopy.
  • Seahorses are master mimics that use their cryptic colors and upright posture to blend in with plants.
  • The interactive game will have you wandering through the streets on a quest for answers to cryptic clues.
  • The above cryptic allusion describes the foreign exchange rate for two currencies.
  • My cryptic comment above, of course, needs a little elaboration.
British Dictionary definitions for cryptic

cryptic

/ˈkrɪptɪk/
adjective
1.
hidden; secret; occult
2.
(esp of comments, sayings, etc) obscure in meaning
3.
(of the coloration of animals) tending to conceal by disguising or camouflaging the shape
Derived Forms
cryptically, adverb
Word Origin
C17: from Late Latin crypticus, from Greek kruptikos, from kruptos concealed; see crypt
Word Origin and History for cryptic
adj.

1630s, "hidden, occult, mystical," from Late Latin crypticus, from Greek kryptikos "fit for concealing," from kryptos "hidden" (see crypt). Meaning "mysterious, enigmatic" is recorded from 1920. Related: Cryptically.

cryptic in Medicine

cryptic cryp·tic (krĭp'tĭk)
n.

  1. Hidden or concealed.

  2. Tending to conceal or camouflage, as the coloring of an animal.