Obs. exc. Hist. [ad. mod.L. steganographia (Trithemius, 1500), a. assumed Gr. *στεγανογραφία, f. στεγανό-ς covered + γράφ-ειν to write: see -GRAPHY. Cf. F. stéganographie (1567 in Hatz.-Darm.).] The art of secret writing; cryptography. Also, cryptographic script, cipher.
1569. J. Sanford, trans. Agrippa’s Van. Artes, 97 b. Steganographie a marueilous kinde of writinge but not commonlye knowne.
1591. Wotton, Lett. to Zouch, Rel. W. (1685), 647. Concerning the Steganography I can by none of those means that I advertis’d this last Week of, pass further than I have.
1593. R. Harvey, Philadelphus, 56. The Histories were written in some strange kind of polygraphy and steganography.
1602. [J. Willis], Art Stenogr., title-p., Wherevnto is annexed a very easie direction for Steganographie, or, Secret Writing.
1677. Phil. Trans., XII. 862. Steganography, (which word imports the Art of signifying, ones mind to another by an occult or secret way of writing).
1780. trans. Von Troil’s Iceland, 299. I afterwards found the same kind of steganography mentioned in a little work ascribed to Rhabanus Maurus.
1823. ‘S. Collet,’ Relics Lit., 112. Steganography.
So Steganogram, a cryptogram; Steganographer, Steganographist, one expert in steganography, a cryptographer; Steganographical a., pertaining to steganography.
1562. Legh, Armory, 227 b. This Herehaught is no Steganographer.
1588. J. Harvey, Disc. Probl., 29. Whose mightie and wonderfull proceedings no Poligrapher can expresse, or Steganographer decipher. Ibid., 53. Facing it out with a certaine learned tincture, that should require as well a Steganographicall decipherer, as a logicall, or philosophicall interpreter.
1727. Bailey, vol. II., Steganographist, an Artist in private Writing.
1753. Chesterf., in World, No. 24, I. 213. One of them being already in possession (to speak in their own style) of a more brachygraphical, cryptographical and steganographical secret in writing their warrants.
1780. trans. Von Troil’s Iceland, 299. Another hand has patched in a steganographical writing.
1904. Sat. Rev., 23 July, 114/2. Colonel Hime … has elucidated a steganogram contained in his [Roger Bacon’s] ‘Epistola de secretis operibus’ which is decisive.
