Cryptically

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In an obscure fashion that renders meaning hard to grasp
2. In a manner that conceals true meaning and makes understanding difficult
3. Expressed so as to be puzzling or unclear, leaving interpretation uncertain

Etymology: "Cryptically" is an adverb built from "cryptic" and the suffix "-ally", which turns an adjective into a manner adverb. "Cryptic" comes from Greek "kryptikos", meaning "hidden" or "secret", from "kryptos", "hidden", the same root that gives English "crypt", a vault where things were concealed. The Greek adjective passed into English as a learned borrowing, so the word has always carried the sense of something deliberately hidden. The suffix has a longer story. The "-ally" ending descends from Latin "-alis", which Old French reshaped into "-al", and English adopted it as "-al" in adjectives. Meanwhile the Old English "-līċe", a relative of the German "-lich" and the origin of the "-ly" we use for manners, merged with "-al" over the Middle English period, producing the combined "-ally" that attaches to adjectives ending in "-ic" to form adverbs like "basically" and "tragically". "Cryptically" therefore joins two lineages: a Greek root for hiddenness and a Germanic manner suffix that arrived through Latin and French.

Synonyms: enigmatically, obscurely, mysteriously, ambiguously, arcane

Antonyms: clearly, obviously, plainly, evidently, transparently