Dictionary

decipher en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /dɪˈsaɪfə(ɹ)/ (UK)

Etymology

As decypher, but not retaining the y from the Old French etyma of cipher (cyfre, cyffre); the i spelling tends to be preferred etymologically, being consistent with its cognates, the French déchiffrer and the Italian decifrare, and with their common ancestor, the Medieval Latin cifra, cifera, ciphra. By surface analysis, de- + cipher.

Meanings

1. A decipherment; a decoding.
   • I enclose a letter which I received yesterday evening from the Marques de Monsalud, containing the decipher of a letter from the King to the Comte d'Erlon. I wish that the Marques had sent the ciphered letter here […] 1837, Arthur Wellesley Duke of Wellington, John Gurwood, The Dispatches of Field Marshall the Duke of Wellington, K.G.:

Forms

decipher en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /dɪˈsaɪfə(ɹ)/ (UK)

Etymology

As decypher, but not retaining the y from the Old French etyma of cipher (cyfre, cyffre); the i spelling tends to be preferred etymologically, being consistent with its cognates, the French déchiffrer and the Italian decifrare, and with their common ancestor, the Medieval Latin cifra, cifera, ciphra. By surface analysis, de- + cipher.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To convert a code or cipher to plain text.
2. (transitive) To read text that is almost illegible or obscure.
3. (transitive) To make sense of a complex situation.
   • Truly, we need human infirmity to teach us human nature, and that to Louis had been as a sealed book; he had only seen the coloured and gilded outside: too late he had to decipher the rough and gloomy page within. 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter II, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 13:
4. (transitive) To find a solution to a problem.

Forms

Antonyms

encrypt · encode · encipher

Coordinates

recipher · recode

Deriveds

redecipher · decipherability · decipherment · undeciphered · indecipherability · undecipherable · undecipher · decipherable · decipherer · indecipherable · misdecipher · decipheress · decipheration

Synonyms

decrypt · resolve · iron out · ravel · Any from Thesaurus:untangle · meliorate · decode · puzzle out · decipher · unriddle · get to the bottom of · unravel · work out · riddle · unpuzzle · think out · solve · resolve · uncode · tease out · unsolve · absolve · work out · unriddle · reason out · sleuth · upsolve

Translations (61)

ru разбирать (to read illegible or obscure text) · es descifrar (to read illegible or obscure text) · es descifrar (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · sv avkoda (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · ru расшифрова́ть (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · ja 解読する (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · pl rozszyfrować (to read illegible or obscure text) · de entziffern (to read illegible or obscure text) · fr déchiffrer (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · es interpretar (to read illegible or obscure text) · az şifrini açmaq (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · da afkode (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · da dechifrere (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · is dulráða (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · sv dechiffrera (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · pt resolver (to find a solution) · el αποκρυπτογραφώ (to read illegible or obscure text) · fi purkaa (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · cmn 解碼 /解码 (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · pl rozszyfrowywać (to read illegible or obscure text) · de dechiffrieren (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · fi ratkaista (to find a solution) · uk розшифрува́ти (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · es descifrar (to find a solution) · pt decifrar (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · bg дешифрирам (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · ota اوقومق (to read illegible or obscure text) · pt decifrar (to find a solution) · de entschlüsseln (to find a solution) · pl rozszyfrować (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · cs rozluštit (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · sv tyda (to read illegible or obscure text) · sv dechiffrera (to read illegible or obscure text) · ca desxifrar (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · sv dekryptera (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · cmn 解讀 /解读 (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · sv tyda (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · ar فَكَّ مُعَمَّى (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · ru расшифро́вывать (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · kk дешифрлеу (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · ar فَكَّ شِّيفْرَة (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · ar فَكَّ تَّعْمِيَة (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · bg разчитам (to read illegible or obscure text) · uk розшифро́вувати (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · fi tavata (to read illegible or obscure text) · el αποκρυπτογραφώ (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · es decodificar (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · fi avata (viesti) (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · es resolver (to find a solution) · sv läsa (to read illegible or obscure text) · he פענח (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · ca desxifrar (to read illegible or obscure text) · nl ontcijferen (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · pl rozszyfrowywać (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · sv läsa (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · fi murtaa (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · tr deşifre etmek (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · lb dechiffréieren (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · ko 해독(解讀)하다 (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · eo malĉifri (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher) · de entschlüsseln (to decode or decrypt a code or cipher)