decipher
Meaning
To succeed in reading, understanding, or interpreting something that is difficult to understand or that is written in code.
To convert (a text written in code) into ordinary language.
Structure
Usage
Archaeologists worked for years to decipher the ancient script carved into the temple walls.
I couldn't decipher his messy handwriting on the note.
The team used advanced computers to decipher the enemy's encrypted communications.
Etymology
The word 'decipher' is a relatively modern English formation from the early 16th century. It was created by combining the Latin-derived prefix 'de-', which here implies a process of reversal or removal, with the noun 'cipher', which entered English from Old French 'cifre'. 'Cipher' itself has a fascinating journey, tracing back to Arabic 'ṣifr' meaning "zero, empty," which was a translation of Sanskrit 'śūnya' (empty). This term entered Medieval Latin as 'cifra,' referring to the numeral zero and later to any Arabic numeral, before evolving to denote a coded message where letters are substituted with numbers or symbols. Therefore, to 'decipher' literally means to "remove the code" or to reverse the process of encoding, transforming a secret system of symbols back into intelligible language.
Analysis
de: A prefix of Latin origin meaning "down from, off, away, reversing or removing." cipher: A word of Arabic origin (via Medieval Latin and Old French) meaning "code, the number zero, or a secret way of writing."