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definitions

decipher

[ dih-sahy-fer ]
/ dɪˈsaɪ fər /
||
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verb (used with object)

to make out the meaning of (poor or partially obliterated writing, etc.): to decipher a hastily scribbled note.
to discover the meaning of (anything obscure or difficult to trace or understand): to decipher hieroglyphics.
to interpret by the use of a key, as something written in cipher: to decipher a secret message.
Obsolete. to depict; portray.

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RELATED WORDS

analyze, elucidate, decode, deduce, unravel, solve, translate, interpret, expound, render, disentangle, read, explain, spell, reveal, break, cipher, unfold, crack, construe

Nearby words

  1. decimation,
  2. decimeter,
  3. decimetre,
  4. decimus,
  5. decinormal,
  6. decision,
  7. decision making,
  8. decision procedure,
  9. decision support system,
  10. decision table

Origin of decipher

1520–30; translation of Middle French déchiffrer. See de-, cipher
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for decipher

British Dictionary definitions for decipher

decipher

/ (dɪˈsaɪfə) /

verb (tr)

to determine the meaning of (something obscure or illegible)
to convert from code into plain text; decode
Derived Formsdecipherable, adjectivedecipherability, noundecipherer, noundecipherment, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for decipher

decipher

v.

1520s, from de- + cipher. Perhaps in part a loan-translation from Middle French déchiffrer. Related: Deciphered; deciphering.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper