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• des
  des

  preposition

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

  abbreviation

  diethylstilbestrol.
• -des
  -des

  a plural suffix appearing in loanwords from Greek.

des

¹ American  

[dey] / deɪ /

preposition

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

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DES ² American  

abbreviation

1. diethylstilbestrol.

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-des ³ American  

1. a plural suffix appearing in loanwords from Greek.

   proboscides.

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DES British  

abbreviation

1. Department of Education and Science

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DES Scientific  

/ 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.

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Etymology

Origin of -des

< Greek, nominative plural of d- stem nouns

Example Sentences

The Louvre heist sent shockwaves around the world and sparked a security crisis within the world-famous museum that ultimately led to the replacement of its director, Laurence des Cars.

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

If Sinner does lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires on 7 June, it will leave him only an Olympics gold medal away from completing the full house of the sport's biggest individual prizes.

From BBC • May 17, 2026

AFP attended a recent rehearsal at the Theatre des Trois Pierrots in Saint-Cloud, west of Paris.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

Called Market Market: Message Market, the sale will feature past season Comme des Garçons collections and Dover Street Market favorites with discounts of up to 70% off.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

“This is M. Bouc, a director of the Compagnie des Wagons Lits. This gentleman is the doctor who examined the body.”

From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie