Everyday Canvas

What is in a crypt?

I received the flollowing info from Daily Tips. I think it will be of interest especially for those of us who keep writing about crypts and such horrors, but not all crypt words should give us the chills.

Cryptid is a bird, an ivory-billed woodpecker; although it is believed to be extinct, it has been sighted as late as 2004 in Arkansas. Thus its extinct status is iffy.

I believe, for those of us who are a bit more imaginative, several stories are hidden in the following words starting with crypt.

These words are from Daily Tips, verbatim:

“Cryptid is of recent coinage, suggested in 1983 by J. E. Wall in a publication of the International Society of Cryptozoology, as a word “to replace sensational and often misleading terms like monster.”

“Cryptozoology may be a pseudoscience, but the word cryptid is a useful addition to the English vocabulary, joining other English words that derive from Greek kryptos, “hidden”:

“-Note: The Google Ngram Viewer shows use of cryptid as early as 1963, but the appearance in the ISC newsletter is most likely the cause of the word’s meteoric rise from 1990 to the present.

“crypt (1583)
An underground cell, chamber, or vault; especially, one used as a burial place and typically lying beneath a church.

“cryptogram (1827)
A piece of cryptographic writing; anything written in code or cipher.

“cryptology (1844)
The science, study, or practice of encrypting and decrypting information.

“cryptonym (1862)
A pseudonym or code name; esp. one given to a spy or to a clandestine operation.

“crypsis (1956) Cryptic coloration or behavior that enables an animal to conceal its presence.

“Cryptozoology (1968)
The study of unknown, legendary, or extinct animals whose existence or survival to the present day is disputed or unsubstantiated.

“Cryptids more sensational than the ivory-billed woodpecker include the following:

Abominable Snowman
Big Foot
chupacabra
Fouke Monster
Kelpie Water horse
Loch Ness monster
Mermaids
Sea serpents
Sewer alligators”