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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 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

Now, on his main-draw debut on the Paris clay, Jodar has emerged as a dark horse for the Coupe des Mousquetaires.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

Jeffrey Wright, Richard Gere and Katherine Waterson round out a top-notch cast in this adaptation of Eric Rochant’s brilliant French series “Le Bureau des Legendes.”

From MarketWatch • May 31, 2026

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

He hurries down through the lobby and paces the rue des Forgeurs, then the rue de Dinan.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr