steganography (2009-06-04)

Part of Speech: noun

Pronunciation: [ste-gên-'ah-grê-fee]

Definition: Hiding writing in plain view, cryptography.

Usage: The use of this term in referring to digital watermarking means no one has had time to use it metaphorically: "Any half-clever steganographer can find the watermark in this graphic file." Already we can send steganograms via e-mail to the extent they are merely encrypted messages, but what of concealed codes in missives of all sorts: "Manfred loves to steganographically conceal messages in his letters to Flo."

Suggested Usage: This word has been in use since 1569 as a synonym for "cryptography." Recently, however, it has been associated with digital watermarking, so it may diverge from "cryptography" in the future. It comes replete with a panoply of derivatives: "steganogram," "steganographer," and an adjective, "steganographical."

Etymology: From Greek steganos "covered" + graphein "to write." "Steganos" comes from stegein "to cover (water-tight)." Domos hala stegon "a house that keeps out the sea" was a metaphor for a good ship. The same root occurs without "s" in Latin tegere "to cover" whence tegula that evolved into "tile." In the Germanic languages this form emerges in German decken "cover," Dach "roof," and "deck" from Middle Dutch dec "roof, covering." In Russian we find stegnut' "to button, zip, etc." and, finally, from Hindi we get "thug" from Hindi "thag," probably from Sanskrit sthaga "a cheat," itself from sthagati "he conceals."