des-

1 of 2

prefix

: de- sense 6

—especially before vowels

desoxy

DES

2 of 2

noun

ˌdē-(ˌ)ē-ˈes

: diethylstilbestrol

Word History

Etymology

Prefix

French dés-, from Old French des- — more at de-

First Known Use

Noun

1970, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of des- was in 1970

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Words

Derzhavin

des-

DES

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Des-.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/des-. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

Copy Citation

Medical Definition

DES

noun

ˌdē-(ˌ)ē-ˈes

: diethylstilbestrol

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Popular in Wordplay

des-

prefix

noun

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Medical Definition

More from Merriam-Webster

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

quibble

Popular in Grammar & Usage