public keyn.
/ˌpʌblɪ(k) ˈkiː/, U.S. /ˈpəblɪ(k) ˈki/ Cryptography.
A cryptographic key that can be obtained and used by anyone to encrypt messages in such a way that the encrypted messages can be deciphered only by using a second ‘private’ key known only to the recipient. Frequently attributive.
ΚΠ
1976 W. Diffie & M. E. Hellman in IEEE Trans. Information Theory 22 644/2 In a public key cryptosystem enciphering and deciphering are governed by distinct keys, E and D, such that computing D from E is computationally unfeasible.
1978 New Scientist 2 Mar. 594 The authorised recipient of these messages has publicised his ‘public key’, the numbers R and S.
1988 D. Welsh Codes & Cryptogr. xi. 178 User Uj must look up the public key Ki of user Ui in the public file.
1995 Computer Feb. 8/2 SHTTP is an RSA Data Security implementation which uses RSA's public key encryption and authentication technology to transmit payments, signatures, and data via Internet.
1999 S. Singh Code Bk. vi. 269 If Bob wants to send Alice a message, he simply looks up her public-key, which would be listed in something akin to a telephone directory.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1976