Decryption

/diːˈkrɪpʃən/ noun

Definition

The process of converting secret or coded messages back into information that people can understand and read.

Etymology

From Latin 'de-' meaning 'reverse' combined with 'crypt' from Greek 'kryptos' meaning 'hidden.' The modern sense developed in the 20th century with cryptography and computer science.

Kelly Says

During World War II, Allied codebreakers at Bletchley Park used mechanical machines to decrypt German Enigma messages, and historians estimate this effort shortened the war by years and saved countless lives.

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