decipherable
UK[dɪˈsaɪfərəbl̩]US[dɪˈsaɪfərəbl̩]
adj
able to be read or understood, especially something that is difficult to interpret or that is written in code.
Morpheme Breakdown
de
cipher
able
de
undo
cipher
code
able
capable of
Etymology
the word 'decipherable' is built upon the verb 'decipher', which entered english in the 16th century. its core component, 'cipher', traces back to the arabic 'ṣifr', meaning "zero" or "empty," which evolved in medieval latin to denote a coded character. the latin prefix 'de-' was added to imply the action of reversing or undoing this code. finally, the suffix '-able', of latin origin via old french, was appended to form an adjective meaning "capable of being decoded." thus, the literal construction "capable of having the code undone" evolved into the modern sense of something that can be interpreted or made clear.
Analysis
Structure: de (undo) + cipher (code) + able (capable of)
de: a prefix of Latin origin meaning "down, off, away, reverse, undo".
cipher: from medieval latin 'cifra' and arabic 'ṣifr', meaning "zero, empty, code". in this word, it functions as the base meaning "code".
able: a suffix of latin origin (via old french) meaning "capable of, fit for".
Examples
the ancient manuscript was faded but still decipherable.
his handwriting was so messy that his signature was barely decipherable.
with the correct key, the encrypted message became easily decipherable.