de
[ duh; French duh; Spanish de; Portuguese di ]
/ də; French də; Spanish dɛ; Portuguese dɪ /
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preposition
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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Origin of de
<French, Spanish, Portuguese <Latin dē
Words nearby de
Other definitions for de (2 of 5)
de'
[ duh; Italian de ]
/ də; Italian dɛ /
preposition
dei (used in Italian names as an elided form of dei): de' Medici.
Other definitions for de (3 of 5)
Other definitions for de (4 of 5)
de-
Origin of de-
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
Other definitions for de (5 of 5)
D.E.
abbreviation
Doctor of Engineering.
driver education.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use de in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for de (1 of 4)
de1
De, before a vowel d' or before a vowel D'
/ (də) /
of; from: occurring as part of some personal names and originally indicating place of originSimon de Montfort; D'Arcy; de la Mare
Word Origin for de
from Latin dē; see de-
British Dictionary definitions for de (2 of 4)
de2
the internet domain name for
Germany
British Dictionary definitions for de (3 of 4)
DE
abbreviation for
(formerly in Britain) Department of Employment
Delaware
British Dictionary definitions for de (4 of 4)
de-
prefix forming verbs and verbal derivatives
removal of or from something specifieddeforest; dethrone
reversal of somethingdecode; decompose; desegregate
departure fromdecamp
Word Origin for de-
from Latin, from dē (prep) from, away from, out of, etc. In compound words of Latin origin, de- also means away, away from (decease); down (degrade); reversal (detect); removal (defoliate); and is used intensively (devote) and pejoratively (detest)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Medical definitions for de
de-
pref.
Do or make the opposite of; reverse:decomposition.
Remove or remove from:deoxygenation.
Reduce; degrade:decholesterolization.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.