prep.
Function: prefix
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French de-, des-, partly from Latin de- from, down, away (fr. de, preposition) and partly from Latin dis-; Latin de akin to Old Irish di from, Old English t ō to ― more at TO , DIS-
1 a : do the opposite of < de activate> b : reverse of < de -emphasis>
2 a : remove (a specified thing) from < de louse> b : remove from (a specified thing) < de throne>
3 : reduce < de value>
4 : something derived from (a specified thing) < de compound> : derived from something (of a specified nature) < de nominative>
5 : get off of (a specified thing) < de train>
6 : having a molecule characterized by the removal of one or more atoms (of a specified element) < de oxy->