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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 water safety event was held in memory of her father, Des who founded the swim school 30 years ago.

From BBC • May 31, 2026

“There is still a digital divide,” Stier said of his community, roughly 40 miles north of Des Moines.

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2026

The smaller boats are more numerous and harder to spot on satellite than larger conventional vessels, Des Roches said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

On the cusp of summer, Des Moines taxi drivers were ordered to keep the air conditioning off.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

From there it flows into the Des Moines River, and down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan