steganography

noun

1
archaic : cryptography
2
: the art or practice of concealing a message, image, or file within another message, image, or file

Did you know?

Steganography is a word that was resurrected after being in disuse for almost 150 years! It was put to rest in the early 1800s, labeled an archaic synonym of "cryptography" by dictionary makers, but was brought back to life in the 1980s as a word for a type of digital cryptography. There is nothing cryptic about the word's origin; it is based on the Greek word steganos, meaning "covered" or "reticent."

Examples of steganography in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In modern times, the movie industry was the first to use steganography to limit piracy and theft of valuable content. Troy Batterberry, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024 Individualize Data And Files: One promising area to prevent leaks has its origins in Ancient Greece and is known as steganography, or the act of concealing information in plain sight. Troy Batterberry, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin steganographia, from Greek steganos covered, reticent (from stegein to cover) + Latin -graphia -graphy — more at thatch

First Known Use

1985, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of steganography was in 1985

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Cite this Entry

“Steganography.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steganography. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.

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