---
title: decipherment — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «decipherment» in the school dictionary: Decipherment is working out the meaning of a code, secret message or old writing that is hard to read. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/decipherment/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/) / [school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/) / [D](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/) / decipherment

# decipherment

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** Decipherment, secret message, Rosetta Stone, code breakers, ancient scripts · **What happens:** work out, be, read, mean, take, decipher · **To what, where:** meaning, code, hieroglyphs, Egyptian writing, secret messages, simple codes

<!-- .vabout -->
«decipherment» in the school dictionary: its meaning for a pupil and its 6 examples, every sentence parsed by Mova itself — its syntax tree, a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, and its pragmatics clause by clause. The word in the dictionary, with its sense in the lessons: [decipherment in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/decipherment.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Decipherment is working out the meaning of a code, secret message or old writing that is hard to read.

<!-- fold The tree, 19 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:decipherment:m1:1
# text = Decipherment is working out the meaning of a code, secret message or old writing that is hard to read.
1	Decipherment	decipherment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	working	work	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	out	out	ADP	RP	_	3	compound:prt	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	meaning	meaning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	code	code	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
11	secret	secret	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	message	message	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	appos	_	_
13	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
14	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	writing	writing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	conj	_	_
16	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	18	nsubj	_	_
17	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	18	cop	_	_
18	hard	hard	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	acl:relcl	_	_
19	to	to	PART	TO	_	20	mark	_	_
20	read	read	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	18	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **work out** | present · progressive | Decipherment | the meaning of a code |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent meaning=Topic |
| 2 | **is** | present | secret message or old writing |  |  |  |  | hard *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **read** | to-infinitive | secret message or old writing *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **mean** |  |  | a code |  |  |  |  | nom meaning «communication transitive»: of=patient |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The decipherment of hieroglyphs took many years.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:decipherment:x1:1
# text = The decipherment of hieroglyphs took many years.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	decipherment	decipherment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	4	case	_	_
4	hieroglyphs	hieroglyph	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	_
5	took	take	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **take** | past | the decipherment of hieroglyphs |  |  |  | year |  | vn bring-11.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **decipher** |  |  | hieroglyphs |  |  |  |  | nom decipherment «act transitive»: of=patient |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The Rosetta Stone helped with the decipherment of Egyptian writing.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:decipherment:x2:1
# text = The Rosetta Stone helped with the decipherment of Egyptian writing.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	Rosetta	Rosetta	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	Stone	Stone	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	helped	help	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	decipherment	decipherment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	Egyptian	Egyptian	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	10	amod	_	_
10	writing	writing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **help** | past | the Rosetta Stone |  |  |  |  | with the decipherment of Egyptian writing | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent with decipherment=Theme |
| 2 | **decipher** |  |  | Egyptian writing |  |  |  |  | nom decipherment «act transitive»: of=patient |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The code-breakers worked on the decipherment of secret messages.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:decipherment:x3:1
# text = The code-breakers worked on the decipherment of secret messages.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
2	code	code	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	compound	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	breakers	breaker	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
5	worked	work	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	on	on	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	decipherment	decipherment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	secret	secret	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	messages	message	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **work** | past | the code breakers |  |  |  |  | on the decipherment of secret messages | vn employment-95.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent on decipherment=Theme |
| 2 | **decipher** |  |  | secret messages |  |  |  |  | nom decipherment «act transitive»: of=patient |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Some ancient scripts still wait for decipherment.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:decipherment:x4:1
# text = Some ancient scripts still wait for decipherment.
1	Some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	3	det	_	_
2	ancient	ancient	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	scripts	script	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
4	still	still	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	wait	wait	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	decipherment	decipherment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wait** | present | some ancient scripts |  |  |  | still | for decipherment | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Our puzzle club practised decipherment of simple codes.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:decipherment:x5:1
# text = Our puzzle club practised decipherment of simple codes.
1	Our	our	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	3	nmod:poss	_	_
2	puzzle	puzzle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	club	club	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
4	practised	practise	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	amod	_	_
5	decipherment	decipherment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	simple	simple	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	codes	code	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **practise** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **decipher** |  |  | simple codes |  |  |  |  | nom decipherment «act transitive»: of=patient |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The decipherment of the old letter revealed a hidden treasure map.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:decipherment:x6:1
# text = The decipherment of the old letter revealed a hidden treasure map.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	decipherment	decipherment	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	letter	letter	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nmod	_	_
7	revealed	reveal	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
9	hidden	hidden	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
10	treasure	treasure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	compound	_	_
11	map	map	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **reveal** | past | the decipherment of the old letter | a hidden treasure map |  |  |  |  | vn confess-37.10 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent map=Topic |
| 2 | **decipher** |  |  | the old letter |  |  |  |  | nom decipherment «act transitive»: of=patient |

<!-- div src -->

**Text:** the school dictionary of Mova's schools (`world/data/dictionary-schools/`), written for Mova. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each meaning and example read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [deciphered](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deciphered/)
- next →: [decision](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/decision/)
- ↑ back to [D in school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/)