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• de
  de

  preposition

  from; of (used in French, Spanish, and Portuguese personal names, originally to indicate place of origin).
• DE
  DE

  abbreviation

  Delaware (approved especially for use with zip code).
• de'
  de'

  preposition

  dei (used in Italian names as an elided form ofdei ).
• de-
  de-

  a prefix occurring in loanwords from Latin (decide ); also used to indicate privation, removal, and separation (dehumidify ), negation (demerit; derange ), descent (degrade; deduce ), reversal (detract ), intensity (decompound ).
• D.E.
  D.E.

  abbreviation

  Doctor of Engineering.

de

¹ American  

[duh, duh, de, di] / də, də, dɛ, dɪ /

preposition

1. from; of (used in French, Spanish, and Portuguese personal names, originally to indicate place of origin).

   Comte de Rochambeau; Don Ricardo de Aragón.

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DE ² American  

abbreviation

1. Delaware (approved especially for use with zip code).

2. destroyer escort.

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de' ³ American  

[duh, de] / də, dɛ /

preposition

1. dei (used in Italian names as an elided form ofdei ).

   de' Medici.

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de- ⁴ American  

1. a prefix occurring in loanwords from Latin (decide ); also used to indicate privation, removal, and separation (dehumidify ), negation (demerit; derange ), descent (degrade; deduce ), reversal (detract ), intensity (decompound ).

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D.E. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. Doctor of Engineering.

2. driver education.

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de- ¹ British  

prefix

1. removal of or from something specified

   deforest

   dethrone

2. reversal of something

   decode

   decompose

   desegregate

3. departure from

   decamp

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DE ² British  

abbreviation

1. (formerly in Britain) Department of Employment

2. Delaware

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de ³ British  

/ də /

1. of; from: occurring as part of some personal names and originally indicating place of origin

   Simon de Montfort

   D'Arcy

   de la Mare

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de ⁴ British  

abbreviation

1. Germany

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Etymology

Origin of de¹

From French, Portuguese, Spanish, from Latin dē

Origin of de-⁴

Middle English < Latin dē-, prefixal use of dē (preposition) from, away from, of, out of; in some words, < French < Latin dē- or dis- dis- ¹

Example Sentences

Mr. Tisci said he was de- and reconstructing the pillars of the house: trenches, car coats and checks.

From New York Times • Mar. 11, 2022

While still used in food, now it is mainly mined as a chemical agent, water softener, or a de- icer for roads.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

“It was a very, very de- pressing time.”

From MSNBC • Mar. 21, 2015

Financial firms boosted salaries starting in 2009 to de- emphasize bonuses, which lawmakers said had encouraged outsized risks that fueled the financial crisis.

From BusinessWeek • Jan. 30, 2012

“And, sir,” she said with warning, “it is drooping in the de- scendent.”

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson