des-

prefix

A removal of a group from a molecule.

OriginMiddle English des- ← Latin dis- ← Old French des- →
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Meanings

prefix
  1. obsoleteObsolete form of dis- (“reversal of sense of succeeding word”).
  2. chemistryA removal of a group from a molecule.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
de-

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*dwóh₁
  2. Proto-Indo-European*trísinflu.
  3. Proto-Indo-European*d(w)is-
  4. Proto-Italic*dis-
  5. Latindis-
  6. Old Frenchdes-
  7. Latindis-
  8. Middle Englishdes-
  9. Englishdes-

From Middle English des-, dis-, from Old French des-, from Latin dis-.

More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

des-. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/des-

MLA

“des-.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/des-. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “des-,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/des-.

Source: des- on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.