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  • di
    di
    preposition
    from; of: used in Italian personal names, originally to indicate place of origin.
  • Di
    Di
    noun
    a female given name, form of Diana.
  • DI
    DI
    Department of the Interior.
  • di-
    di-
    a prefix occurring in loanwords from Greek, where it meant “two,” “twice,” “double” (diphthong ); on this model, freely used in the formation of compound words (dicotyledon; dipolar ) and in chemical terms (diatomic; disulfide ).
  • di.
    di.
    abbreviation
    diameter.
  • di–
    di–
    A prefix that means “two,” “twice,” or “double.” It is used commonly in chemistry, as in dioxide, a compound having two oxygen atoms.

di

1 American  
[dee] / di /
Or Di

preposition

  1. from; of: used in Italian personal names, originally to indicate place of origin.

    Conte di Savòia.


di 2 American  
[dee] / di /

noun

Music.
  1. a tone in the ascending chromatic scale between do and re.


Di 3 American  
[dahy] / daɪ /

noun

  1. a female given name, form of Diana.


Di 4 American  
Symbol, Chemistry.
  1. didymium.


DI 5 American  
  1. Department of the Interior.

  2. drill instructor.


di- 6 American  
  1. a prefix occurring in loanwords from Greek, where it meant “two,” “twice,” “double” (diphthong ); on this model, freely used in the formation of compound words (dicotyledon; dipolar ) and in chemical terms (diatomic; disulfide ).


di- 7 American  
  1. variant of dis- before b, d, l, m, n, r, s, v, and sometimes g and j: digest; divide.


di- 8 American  
  1. variant of dia- before a vowel.

    diorama.


di. 9 American  
Or dia

abbreviation

  1. diameter.


DI 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. Defence Intelligence

  2. Detective Inspector

  3. Donor Insemination

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

di- 2 British  

combining form

  1. variant of dia-

    diopter

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Di 3 British  

symbol

  1. didymium

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

di- 4 British  

prefix

  1. twice; two; double

    dicotyledon

    1. containing two specified atoms or groups of atoms

      dimethyl ether

      carbon dioxide

    2. a nontechnical equivalent of bi- 1

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

di– Scientific  
  1. A prefix that means “two,” “twice,” or “double.” It is used commonly in chemistry, as in dioxide, a compound having two oxygen atoms.


Etymology

Origin of di1

< Italian < Latin

Origin of di2

Perhaps alteration of do 2

Origin of di-6

Middle English ≪ Latin < Greek, combining form representing dís twice, double, akin to dýo two. See bi- 1, twi-

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"This relationship aligns with natural shifts in the color of ambient illumination, detectable during twilight by mammals with di- and tri-chromatic visual systems."

From Salon • Nov. 8, 2023

NOTE.—The forms di- and dif- are euphonic forms of dis-; dif- is used before a root beginning with a vowel.

From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton

What about lecithin and mono-, di-, and triglycerides?

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

In the midafternoon, when the sun is high overhead—the earth’s equator close to the ball of burning fire, just like the di- agram in Understanding Our Universe—we turn onto the dirt road to Yana Urku.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau

Those not included are as follows:—Amyl-nitrate and nitrite, methylene-di-methyl ether, ethidene-diethyl ether, amyl-chloracetate, nitro-benzene and di-nitro-benzene, coumarin, camphor, glacial acetic acid, and mono-, di-, and tri-acetin.

From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by Sanford, P. Gerald (Percy Gerald)