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Added 9 October 2026

decipher

/dɪˈsaɪfə(ɹ)/ verb

Latin root: cifra Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about decipher at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To convert a code or cipher to plain text.
To read text that is almost illegible or obscure.
To make sense of a complex situation.

noun

A decipherment; a decoding.

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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