ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary Builder›Word parts›Prefixes›de
PrefixLatin
de
opposite, reverse
Latin de suggested down, away, or undoing: degradation steps rank down, demotion moves it down, and defacing strips a surface's appearance away.
Words built from it
- deface — to spoil the surface or appearance of
de- (off, away) + face (surface, appearance) - degrade — to lower in status or quality
de- (down) + grade (step, rank) - denounce — to publicly condemn
de- (down, against) + nounce (announce, from nuntiare) - demote — to lower in rank
de- (down) + mote (move, from movere) - deplete — to use up or reduce the supply of
de- (completely) + plete (fill, from plere) - debilitate — to weaken or make feeble
de- (away from) + habil (able) + -itate (make)
Looks like it, but is not
- decorate — from Latin decorare 'to adorn,' from decus 'honor,' not the de- prefix
- decimate — from Latin decimare 'take a tenth,' from decem 'ten,' not the de- prefix
Drill this word part in the app
More prefixes
- circum — around
- con/col/com — together, with
- dis — apart, away
- em/en — within/put inside
- endo/ind — inside, within