"Crypto" is a
Latin root meaning "buried" (or, metaphorically, "
obscured"). Modern English
instances include
cryptography,
crypt, and
Krypton (so named because the
Noble Gasses are unreactive and thus difficult to identify, and because krypton is extremely rare).
Crypto- can also be used as a
prefix to indicate that the
appended thing or quality is
hidden. For example, a politician who claimed to support
welfare for the poor by giving large tax breaks to corporations might be called a crypto-
conservative.
Crypto-fascist is another popular term.
Using crypto- to describe something is usually
inflammatory, since it
implies that it is not entirely
honest.
Crypto comes from the Latin
crypta, for crypt, and prior to that from the
Greek kruptein, "to hide." (
etymology taken from the
American Heritage Dictionary).