Both Uses of

cipher
in
Beloved, by Toni Morrison

But something was wrong with the order of the words and he couldn't describe or cipher it to save his life.†
Part 2 *

This time, although he couldn't cipher but one word, he believed he knew who spoke them.†
Part 2

Definitions:

(1) (cipher as in: a secret cipher)
to write a message in a secret code; or such a message; or a substitution table or other system used to encode and decode such a message
(2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
meaning too rare to warrant focus:

At one time, cipher frequently referenced the act of doing mathematical calculations or a person capable of such calculations.

A cipher can also refer to a person without power or influence. It can also refer to the mathematical digit, zero.

A comprehensive dictionary will describe other less common senses of cipher.