de-

prefix — 6 senses

de-

prefixalso spelled De-

stressed /dɛ/ · unstressed /də/

Etymology From Latin dē-, from the preposition dē (“of”, “from”). For sense development, compare Old English æf-, which was a similar prefix.

1

Morpheme reversal, undoing

de- + couple → decouple
de- + align → dealign

2 more examples

de- + ice → de-ice
de- + baptize → debaptize

2

Morpheme to remove from, removed

de- + bus → debus
de- + bark → debark

2 more examples

de- + benzylate → debenzylate
de- + arterialization → dearterialization

3

Morpheme Intensifying

de- + fraud → defraud
de- + complex → decomplex

4 more examples

de- + numerate → denumerate
de- + pauperize → depauperize
de- + prostrate → deprostrate
de- + specificate → despecificate

4

Morpheme derived from, of

de- + substantival → desubstantival
de- + verbal → deverbal

1 more example

de- + mise → demise

5

Morpheme down, downward

de- + scando → descend
de- + press → depress

Synonyms: un-, dis-, in-, des-, off-, out-, ab-, apo-, away, off
Antonyms: re-, em-
Derived terms: debar, debus, decouple, decrypt, deforestation
Related terms: an-, dis-, in-, non-, un-

De-

prefix

1

US, Morpheme Unisex prefix used in African-American given names.

African-American Vernacular

De- + Shawna → DeShawna
De- + Angelo → DeAngelo

1 more example

De- + Andre → DeAndre

Related terms: de
Coordinate terms: Le-, La-

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — authors: page histories for de- and De-.