eavesdropper
pronunciation
How to pronounce eavesdropper in British English:
UK 
How to pronounce eavesdropper in American English:
US
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- Noun:
- a secret listener to private conversations
Word Origin
- eavesdropper (n.)
- mid-15c., with agent-noun ending + Middle English eavesdrop, from Old English yfesdrype "place around a house where the rainwater drips off the roof," from eave (q.v.) + drip (v.). Technically, "one who stands at walls or windows to overhear what's going on inside."
Example
- 1. Eavesdropper could , in theory , steal an extra photonanduse it to help decodeamessage .
- 2. " And what did you think of this fine story , eavesdropper ? "
- 3. By means of this algorithm an eavesdropper is unable to get any meaningful information about the source , which we call practical security .
- 4. For example , use of a hash-based challenge-response authentication method for password verification may provide a hashed password to an eavesdropper , who can then crack the password .
- 5. Reading the book is like being an eavesdropper as two companions take a long country walk .