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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

See Examples For:

des DES

The collection was unveiled at an elaborate event at the Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay, just outside Paris.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

Also of note, Paramount recently added all five seasons of “The Bureau” — aka “Le Bureau des Légendes” — the original French series that “The Agency” was adapted from.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

His older brothers—also artists—had been dispatched by the high priests of Cubism to inform Duchamp that his submission to the Salon des Indépendants wouldn’t make the cut.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

The debate was held at the Maison de la Paix, which houses several organisations and is a stone's throw from the UN Palais des Nations.

From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026

On May 27, German troops attacked the strategic Chemin des Dames ridge, where the French general Nivelle had launched his disastrous offensive the year before.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

Last summer, DES also laid off about 500 employees in response to the elimination of federal grants and in anticipation of additional federal cuts.

From Salon ● Apr. 9, 2026

Brett Bezio, a spokesperson for DES, said the agency is focusing on reducing the state’s error rate to ensure “the program remains a stable resource for vulnerable Arizonans.”

From Salon ● Apr. 9, 2026

DES MOINES, Iowa — For Democrats in Iowa, this year’s Super Tuesday is a break from five decades of tradition in how the state gets its say in helping determine the presidential nominee.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 5, 2024

DES scientists continue to use the supernova results in more analyses by integrating them with results obtained with the other DES techniques.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 8, 2024

He had accessed the anonymous FTP server at the University of Helsinki to copy information about DES.

From Underground by Dreyfus, Suelette