ds

See also: Ds, DS, dS, ds., d's, D's, D.S., and D. S.

Translingual

Symbol

ds

1. (metrology) Symbol for decisecond, an SI unit of time equal to 10⁻¹ seconds.

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English

Noun

ds

1. plural of d

Usage notes

• Opinions vary regarding the use of apostrophes when forming the plurals of letters of the alphabet. New Fowler's Modern English Usage, after noting that the usage has changed, states on page 602 that "after letters an apostrophe is obligatory." The 15th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style states in paragraph 7.16, "To avoid confusion, lowercase letters ... form the plural with an apostrophe and an s". The Oxford Style Manual on page 116 advocates the use of common sense.

Anagrams

• S&D, S. D., S.D., SD, sd

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Egyptian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /dɛs/
  • Conventional anglicization: des

Noun

 m

1. jar
2. a measure of volume used for beer.

Inflection

Declension of ds (masculine)

singular	ds
dual	dswj
plural	dsw

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ds  

ds	ds	ḏs

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /dɛs/
  • Conventional anglicization: des

Noun

 m

1. flint

Inflection

Declension of ds (masculine)

singular	ds
dual	dswj
plural	dsw

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ds  

ds

Noun

 m

1. knife
   • c. 1900 BCE, The Instructions of Kagemni (pPrisse/pBN 183) lines 1.2–1.3:

     spd dsw r th-mtn nn ḥn nj js ḥr zp.f

     Sharp are the knives against one who transgresses the path; there is no haste except at its proper time.

Inflection

Declension of ds (masculine)

singular	ds
dual	dswj
plural	dsw

Derived terms

• mds

References

• James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN.
• Faulkner, Raymond Oliver (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Oxford: Griffith Institute, →ISBN