DE

1 of 2

abbreviation

1
defensive end
2
Delaware
3
diatomaceous earth
4
doctor of engineering

de-

2 of 2

prefix

1
a
: do the opposite of
deactivate
b
: reverse of
de-emphasis
2
a
: remove (a specified thing) from
delouse
b
: remove from (a specified thing)
dethrone
3
: reduce
devalue
4
: something derived from (a specified thing)
decompound
: derived from something (of a specified nature)
denominative
5
: get off of (a specified thing)
detrain
6
: having a molecule characterized by the removal of one or more atoms (of a specified element)
deoxy-

Word History

Etymology

Prefix

Middle English, from Anglo-French de-, des-, partly from Latin de- from, down, away (from de, preposition) and partly from Latin dis-; Latin de akin to Old Irish di from, Old English to — more at to, dis-

Dictionary Entries Near DE

Cite this Entry

“DE.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/DE. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

de-

prefix
1
: do the opposite of
decode
2
a
: remove (a specified thing) from
delouse
b
: remove from (a specified thing)
dethrone
3
: reduce
degrade
Etymology

Prefix

derived from Latin de- "from, down, away" and Latin dis-, literally, "apart"

Medical Definition

D&E

noun
variants or D and E
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!