- de-
- aff. a prefix, occurring orig. in loanwords from Latin, used to form verbs that denote motion or conveyance down from, away, or off (deflect; descend); reversal or undoing of the effects of an action (deflate); extraction or removal of a thing (decaffeinate); thoroughness or completeness of an action (despoil)•Etymology: ME < L dē-, prefixal use of dē (prep.) from, away from, of, out of; in some words, < F < L dē- or dis- I
From formal English to slang. 2014.