des

¹ American  

[dey] / deɪ /

preposition

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

---

DES ² American  

abbreviation

1. diethylstilbestrol.

---

-des ³ American  

1. a plural suffix appearing in loanwords from Greek.

   proboscides.

---

DES British  

abbreviation

1. Department of Education and Science

---

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.

---

Etymology

Origin of -des

< Greek, nominative plural of d- stem nouns

Example Sentences

"That was our champions against their champions. Our champions were nowhere near," said former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who was inside Parc des Princes for BBC Radio 5 Live.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

The Cour des Comptes said the state had been lax in not checking the credentials of the 30,000 dealers to whom it allows access to the SIV.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

PSG led 3-2 from last week's first leg but Maghnes Akliouche gave Monaco the advantage on the night at the Parc des Princes to level the scores on aggregate.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026

Laurence des Cars, the first woman to lead the Louvre, said she no longer felt able to fully carry out her responsibilities because of a lack of clarity over priorities and resources.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

Twenty minutes to get out of the Place des Hirondelles, and perhaps another hour to get into hiding before the all-clear.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein