plaintext

noun

plain·​text ˈplān-ˌtekst How to pronounce plaintext (audio)
: the intelligible form of an encrypted text or of its elements compare ciphertext

Examples of plaintext 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.
What Is Data Encryption? Data encryption is the process of converting readable data (plaintext) into an unreadable format (ciphertext) using a cryptographic key. Ofer Lidsky, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024 Since 1988, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority has managed the Web’s Domain Name System—basically the system that converts our plaintext addresses like spectrum.ieee.org into the actual numerical IP addresses that computers use to navigate to specific sites. IEEE Spectrum, 15 June 2018 Following a report by Krebs on Security, the company acknowledged in March 2019 that a bug in its password management systems had caused hundreds of millions of Facebook, Facebook Lite, and Instagram passwords to be stored without protection in plaintext in an internal platform. Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, 28 Sep. 2024 Because the conversion works in only one direction—from plaintext to hash—there is no cryptographic means for converting the hashes back into plaintext. Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 27 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for plaintext 

Word History

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of plaintext was in 1918

Dictionary Entries Near plaintext

Cite this Entry

“Plaintext.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plaintext. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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