cifra

See also: cifrá, cifră, Cifra, and ċifra

Asturian

Noun

cifra f (plural cifres)

1. number, figure

Czech

Etymology

Inherited from Old Czech cifra, borrowed from German Ziffer, from Medieval Latin cifra (“numeral; zero symbol”), from Arabic صِفْر (ṣifr, “zero”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈt͡sɪfra]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

cifra f

1. digit

   Synonym: číslice

Declension

Declension of cifra (hard feminine reducible)

	singular	plural
nominative	cifra	cifry
genitive	cifry	cifer
dative	cifře	cifrám
accusative	cifru	cifry
vocative	cifro	cifry
locative	cifře	cifrách
instrumental	cifrou	ciframi

Derived terms

• ciferník m

Related terms

• šifra f

Further reading

• “cifra”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “cifra”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “cifra”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2026

Hungarian

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin cifra (“zero, numeral”), from Arabic صِفْر (ṣifr, “zero, empty, nothing”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈt͡sifrɒ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: cif‧ra
• Rhymes: -rɒ

Adjective

cifra (comparative cifrább, superlative legcifrább)

1. ornamented, gaudy
2. (figurative, colloquial) indecent, vulgar, dirty

Declension

Inflection (stem in long/high vowel, back harmony)

	singular	plural
nominative	cifra	cifrák
accusative	cifrát	cifrákat
dative	cifrának	cifráknak
instrumental	cifrával	cifrákkal
causal-final	cifráért	cifrákért
translative	cifrává	cifrákká
terminative	cifráig	cifrákig
essive-formal	cifraként	cifrákként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	cifrában	cifrákban
superessive	cifrán	cifrákon
adessive	cifránál	cifráknál
illative	cifrába	cifrákba
sublative	cifrára	cifrákra
allative	cifrához	cifrákhoz
elative	cifrából	cifrákból
delative	cifráról	cifrákról
ablative	cifrától	cifráktól
non-attributive possessive – singular	cifráé	cifráké
non-attributive possessive – plural	cifráéi	cifrákéi

Derived terms

• cifraság
• cifrácska
• cifrálkodik
• cifráz
• cifrázat

Expressions

• cifra galambgomba
• cifra holyva
• cifra kankalin
• cifra kígyógomba
• cifra korallgomba
• cifra kölönte
• cifra lemezestapló
• cifra levélmoly
• cifra pehelyréce
• cifra rája
• cifra réce

Further reading

• cifra in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.
• cifra in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2026).

Italian

Alternative forms

• cyfra, cifera, cyfera, zifra, zifera (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃi.fra/
• Rhymes: -ifra
• Hyphenation: cì‧fra

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Medieval Latin cifra (“zero, numeral”), from Arabic صِفْر (ṣifr, “zero, empty, nothing”). Doublet of zero.

Noun

cifra f (plural cifre)

1. figure, numeral
2. sum
3. code, cipher
4. (in the plural) initials, monogram
5. (obsolete) zero

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

cifra

1. inflection of cifrare:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Anagrams

• Carfì, cafri, farci, farcì

Latin

Alternative forms

• cīfera, cīphra, cȳffra

Etymology

Etymology tree

Sanskrit शू॒न्य (śūnyá)sl.

Arabic صِفْر (ṣifr)bor.

Latin cīfra

Borrowed from Arabic صِفْر (ṣifr). Doublet of zēphirum (“zero”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈkiː.fra]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈt͡ʃiː.fra]

Noun

cīfra f (genitive cīfrae); first declension (Medieval Latin)

1. numeral, cipher
2. zero (symbol)
   • c. 1230, Johannes de Sacrobosco, “De Arte Numerandi”, in Rara Mathematica‎^[1], published 1841, page 3:

     Decima figura dicitur theta, vel circulus, vel cifra, vel figura nihili quia nihil significat, sed locum tenens dat aliis significare: nam sine cifra vel cifris purus non potest scribi articulus.

     The tenth symbol is called theta, or circle, or zero, or the null symbol, which indicates none, but, holding a place, gives a different meaning: for without a zero or zeroes, it is not possible to write the pure single word.

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	cīfra	cīfrae
genitive	cīfrae	cīfrārum
dative	cīfrae	cīfrīs
accusative	cīfram	cīfrās
ablative	cīfrā	cīfrīs
vocative	cīfra	cīfrae

Related terms

• zēphirum n

Descendants

• English: cipher
• French: chiffre
• Friulian: cifre
• Hungarian: cifra
• Italian: cifra
• Piedmontese: cifra

References

• cifra in Ramminger, Johann (16 July 2016 (last accessed)), Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[2], pre-publication website, 2005-2016

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈsi.fɾɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈsi.fɾɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈsi.fɾa/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈsi.fɾɐ/

• Hyphenation: ci‧fra

Etymology 1

Acordes marcados com cifras (4).

Borrowed from Medieval Latin cifra (“zero, numeral”), from Arabic صِفْر (ṣifr, “zero, empty, nothing”). Doublet of zero.

Noun

cifra f (plural cifras)

1. number
2. amount, figure
3. code, cipher
4. (music) number or letter that represents a chord

Derived terms

• cifragem
• cifrão
• cifrar
• decifrar

Etymology 2

Verb

cifra

1. inflection of cifrar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “cifra”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “cifra”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “cifra”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French chiffrer.

Verb

a cifra (third-person singular present cifrează, past participle cifrat) 1st conjugation

1. to quantify
2. to cypher

Conjugation

    conjugation of cifra (first conjugation, -ez- infix)

infinitive			a cifra
gerund			cifrând
past participle			cifrat
number		singular			plural
person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		eu	tu	el/ea	noi	voi	ei/ele
	present	cifrez	cifrezi	cifrează	cifrăm	cifrați	cifrează
	imperfect	cifram	cifrai	cifra	cifram	cifrați	cifrau
	simple perfect	cifrai	cifrași	cifră	cifrarăm	cifrarăți	cifrară
	pluperfect	cifrasem	cifraseși	cifrase	cifraserăm	cifraserăți	cifraseră
subjunctive		eu	tu	el/ea	noi	voi	ei/ele
	present	să cifrez	să cifrezi	să cifreze	să cifrăm	să cifrați	să cifreze
imperative		—	tu	—	—	voi	—
	affirmative		cifrează			cifrați
	negative		nu cifra			nu cifrați

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Arabic صِفْر (ṣifr, “empty”) and, subsequently "zero"; cifra is the Latin form which came to Europe via Andalusian Arabic in late 14th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡sîfra/
• Hyphenation: cif‧ra

Noun

cȉfra f (Cyrillic spelling ци̏фра)

1. digit
2. figure
3. number, numeral

Declension

Declension of cifra

	singular	plural
nominative	cȉfra	cifre
genitive	cifre	cȉfārā / cȉfrī
dative	cifri	ciframa
accusative	cifru	cifre
vocative	cifro	cifre
locative	cifri	ciframa
instrumental	cifrom	ciframa

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈθifɾa/ [ˈθi.fɾa] (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)
• IPA^(key): /ˈsifɾa/ [ˈsi.fɾa] (Latin America, Philippines)
• Rhymes: -ifɾa
• Syllabification: ci‧fra

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Arabic صِفْر (ṣifr, “empty”) and, subsequently 'zero'; cifra is the Latin form which came to Europe via Andalusian Arabic in late 14th century. Cognate with English cipher.

Noun

cifra f (plural cifras)

1. digit
2. number
3. amount
4. cipher; code

Derived terms

• cifrar

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

cifra

1. inflection of cifrar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “cifra”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025