des

¹

[ dey ]

preposition

1. used in French names as a contraction of de and the article les: François des Adrets.

DES

²

abbreviation for

1. diethylstilbestrol.

-des

³

1. a plural suffix appearing in loanwords from Greek:

   proboscides.

DES

abbreviation for

1. Department of Education and Science

DES

/ dē′ē-ĕs′ /

1. Short for diethylstilbestrol. A synthetic nonsteroidal substance having estrogenic properties and prescribed between 1938 and 1971 to pregnant women with a history of miscarriage and other problems of pregnancy. It is no longer used due to the incidence of certain vaginal cancers and other disorders in the daughters of women so treated.

Word History and Origins

Origin of des¹

< Greek, nominative plural of d- stem nouns

Example Sentences

“Palmyra, Krac des Chevaliers, Afamia, the Umayyad Mosque—I took them everywhere,” he said, speaking to me in English.

From The Daily Beast

That candidate, Joni Ernst, did herself no favors yesterday by blowing off the editorial board of The Des Moines Register.

From The Daily Beast

The stories are told through the eyes of two fishing guides, Crunch and Des, with a spare grace and humor that stand strong.

From The Daily Beast

The Des Moines women called their Senate contest “ugly,” the kind of race where you vote for the lesser of two evils.

From The Daily Beast

As a result, Rue des Rosiers houses only a few kosher shops and kitschy delis, mostly dedicated to vistors rather than locals.

From The Daily Beast

L'Occision des chiens est accoste de la tabagie et de ce qui suyt la tabagie, du chant et des danses.

From Project Gutenberg

L'adieu et le deuil se clost par l'occision des chiens ce que le mourant ait des avants-coureurs en l'autre monde.

From Project Gutenberg

Il prenoit des symptomes si mortels, que souvent nous n'attendions sinon qu'il nous demeurast entre les mains.

From Project Gutenberg

By bad luck d'Amade was away, up in the front trenches, and I could not well deliver myself to des Coigns.

From Project Gutenberg

Car les Angloys s'en veulent dire maistres, et sur ce ils produysoyent des lettres de leur Roy, mais ce que nous croyons fausses.

From Project Gutenberg