Latin word root · Prefixes
de-: down, away, off
de- is a Latin root meaning “down, away, off”. Learn its variants and explore 5 connected words.
Meaning and variants
Meaning: down, away, off
Root forms: de-
Source word: de — of; concerning; about
Word family and examples
- describe
to give a detailed account of something in words
- define
to state the exact meaning of a word or concept
- deposit
a sum of money placed in a bank; a layer of material
- defect
a shortcoming, imperfection, or lack
- dehydrate
to remove water from; to lose a large amount of water from the body
Root connections help with vocabulary recall. They are not a complete etymological history, and a spelling match alone does not prove a relationship.
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Source: Wiktionary. Dictionary text is adapted from Wiktionary under CC BY-SA 4.0. Definitions are selected and reformatted; root links are curated by Word Radicals. Read about sources and limitations.