English
decrypt
Decrypt comes from Ancient Greek κρυπτός ‘concealed, hidden, secret’, and goes back to κρῠ́πτω.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκρῠ́πτωkrŭ́ptō‘I conceal’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκρυπτός‘concealed, hidden, secret’literally ‘hidden, concealed, private, secret’
- Englishearliest quotation 1979decrypt
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκρῠ́πτωkrŭ́ptō‘I conceal’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκρυπτός‘concealed, hidden, secret’literally ‘hidden, concealed, private, secret’
- Englishearliest quotation 1979decrypt
Earliest quotation: 1979, Francis Harry Hinsley, British Intelligence in the Second World War: “The decrypts were being obtained from the traffic of…”
Linked words
through Ancient Greek κρῠ́πτω ‘I conceal’
through Ancient Greek κρυπτός ‘concealed, hidden, secret’
Today it means
verb To convert (an encrypted or coded message) back into plain text.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek κρῠ́πτω / decrypt