de-
/diː-/ (bre, ipa) · /diː-/ (ame, ipa)
de- — 字首
1. A group of letters added to the beginning of a verb or noun to create a new word
反；除；減
表示相反、去除或減少
A group of letters added to the beginning of a verb or noun to create a new word with the opposite meaning, or to indicate that something is taken away or made less.
The government took steps to de-escalate the conflict between the two countries.
政府採取措施來緩和兩國之間的衝突。
de-escalate — to make less intense
Before the plane takes off, the ground crew must de-ice the wings.
飛機起飛前，地勤人員必須為機翼除冰。
de-ice — to remove ice
You should deactivate your old account before opening a new one.
你應該先停用舊帳戶，再開一個新的。
The technician ran the software to debug the code before the release.
技術人員執行程式來除錯，以便在發行前修正程式碼。
Please remember to defrost the chicken before cooking it.
請記得在烹調前先將雞肉解凍。
用法筆記
The prefix de- can be freely added to many verbs and nouns, but not all possible combinations are real English words. Before using a de- word you have not seen before, check a dictionary to confirm it exists.