The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):

public-key encryption
PKE
public-key cryptography

    (PKE, Or "public-key cryptography") An
   encryption scheme, introduced by Diffie and Hellman in 1976,
   where each person gets a pair of keys, called the public key
   and the private key.  Each person's public key is published
   while the private key is kept secret.  Messages are encrypted
   using the intended recipient's public key and can only be
   decrypted using his private key.  This is often used in
   conjunction with a digital signature.

   The need for sender and receiver to share secret information
   (keys) via some secure channel is eliminated: all
   communications involve only public keys, and no private key is
   ever transmitted or shared.

   Public-key encryption can be used for authentication,
   confidentiality, integrity and non-repudiation.

   RSA encryption is an example of a public-key cryptosystem.

   alt.security FAQ

(http://cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/bngusenet/alt/security/top.html).

   See also knapsack problem.

   (1995-03-27)