DECI'PHER, verb transitive 1. To find the alphabet of a cipher; to explain what is written in ciphers, by finding what letter each character or mark represents; as, to decipher a letter written in ciphers. 2. To unfold; to unravel what is intricate; to explain what is obscure or difficult to be understood; as, to decipher an ambiguous speech, or an ancient manuscript or inscription. 3. To write out; to mark down in characters. 4. To stamp; to mark; to characterize.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI