(in the Russian army) a soldier who has served two or three years
Word Origin
Russian ded grandfather
ded in Technology
Dark-Emitting Diode (that is, a burned-out LED). Compare SED, LER, write-only memory. In the early 1970s both Signetics and Texas instruments released DED spec sheets as AFJs (suggested uses included "as a power-off indicator"). [Jargon File]