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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

"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
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

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

The operation was "carried out successfully" and the evacutation order was lifted by early on Sunday evening, the Préfet des Hauts-de-Seine confirmed in a statement.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

The bomb was discovered on 10 April during construction work on Rue des Champarons.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

On Tuesday, des Cars sent her resignation to President Emmanuel Macron, which was accepted, following a string of scandals including the brazen theft of French crown jewels valued at $100 million in October.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026

On Tuesday, des Cars handed in her resignation to President Emmanuel Macron, which was accepted.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026

The whole of Le Cirque des Rêves is formed by series of circles.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.