A prefix from Latin de down, from, away; as in debark, decline, decease, deduct, decamp. In words from the French it is equivalent to Latin dis-apart, away; or sometimes to de. Cf. Dis-. It is negative and opposite in derange, deform, destroy, etc. It is intensive in deprave, despoil, declare, desolate, etc.
DE-
Meaning of DE- in English
Webster's Revised Unabridged English Dictionary. Пересмотренный полный словарь английского языка Webster. 2012