Meanings
desmond1
plural desmonds
- UKslangeducationA lower second class honours or 2.2 degree.
Desmond2
plural Desmonds
- A surname from Irish, anglicised from Ó Deasmhumhnaigh, meaning "a man from South Munster".
It is the second vertical banknote issued in Canada. The first is the $10 bill, depicting Black civil rights advocate Viola Desmond.
2026 September 3, Nadine Yousif, “Canada unveils new $20 bill featuring portrait of King Charles”, in BBC News, retrieved 03 Sep 2026 - A male given name transferred from the surname; popular in Britain in the first half of the twentieth century.
The gamer, 29, whose real name is Desmond Amofah, was reported missing six days ago.
2019 June 25, “Etika: Body found in search is missing YouTuber”, in BBC, archived from the original on 16 Apr 20251 more example
I call him Bradford because it makes me feel like I'm in a soap opera. That's what they name men on soap operas. Bradford and Desmond and Elliott and Royce.
1988, K. C. Constantine, Joey's Case, →ISBN, page 132
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
desmond · noun
From Desmond (“given name”); abbreviation of Desmond Tutu (South African archbishop); from Tutu (“surname”) which sounds like 2.2 (two-two).
Full word history & related roots →Desmond · proper noun
- IrishÓ Deasmhumhnaigh
- EnglishDesmond
From Irish Ó Deasmhumhnaigh.
More words from Irish
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
desmond. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/desmond
“desmond.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/desmond. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “desmond,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/desmond.
Source: desmond on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.