||Dis (?), n. [L.]
The god Pluto. Shak.
Dis- (?; 258). 1. A prefix from
the Latin, whence F. dés, or
sometimes dé-,
dis-. The Latin dis-appears as di-before b, d, g, l, m, n, r, v, becomes dif-before
f, and either dis-or di- before j. It is from the same root
as bis twice, and duo, E. two. See Two, and cf. Bi-, Di-, Dia-. Dis- denotes separation, a parting from, as in distribute, disconnect; hence it often has the
force of a privative and negative, as in disarm, disoblige, disagree. Also intensive, as in dissever.
&fist; Walker's rule
of pronouncing this prefix is, that the
s ought always to be
pronounced like z, when the
next syllable is accented and begins with "a flat mute [b, d, v, g, z]
, a liquid [l, m, n, r], or
a vowel; as,
disable, disease, disorder, disuse,
disband, disdain, disgrace, disvalue, disjoin, dislike,
dislodge, dismay, dismember, dismiss, dismount, disnatured, disrank, disrelish, disrobe." Dr. Webster's example in
disapproving of Walker's rule and pronouncing dis-as diz in only one (disease) of the above words, is followed by recent orthoëpists. See Disable, Disgrace, and the other words, beginning with dis-, in this Dictionary.
2. A prefix from Gr. di`s- twice. See Di-.
Hear it pronounced