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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

Trailing 3-1 from the first leg at Parc des Princes and falling 5-1 behind on aggregate in Birmingham, Villa were so close to pulling of a huge shock.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

On the Place des Lices, the central square that hosts twice-weekly farmers markets, Scarlett Grande Librairie is a hybrid bookstore-cafe with good coffee and homemade cake.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

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

They are halfway up the rue des Patriarches.

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

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

To understand the nature of dark energy and measure the expansion rate of the universe, DES scientists perform analyses with four different techniques, including the supernova technique used in 1998.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 8, 2024

In response to the frenzy over the strength or weakness of DES, one company took DES and folded it over and over on itself using multiple keys.

From Terminal Compromise: computer terrorism: when privacy and freedom are the victims: a novel by Winn Schwartau