San

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English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

As a synonym of Bushmen introduced into ethnology from the 1960s, from Khoekhoe saan (singular saa) "foragers; people without wealth", via back-formation from Khoisan. Occasional citation as the Nama term for "Bushmen" from the 1880s.[1]

Noun

San pl (plural only)

  1. (regionally, offensive, ethnic slur) Any of the foraging non-Bantu ethnic groups of southwestern Africa.
Usage notes
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
  • San is the plural form, used for the group collectively. Individuals are referred to as "a San man", "a San woman" etc., although when referring to individuals, reference to their specific nation is preferable (as in, "a ǃKung man" etc.).
  • San became popular in 1970s western anthropology as a politically correct replacement for "Bushmen", which was perceived as outdated. However, it turned out that San was a derogatory term for "foragers" used by the pastoralist Khoikhoi, while "Bushman" carried no derogatory connotations, so that experts who had been in actual contact with the group recommended the continued use of "Bushmen" (Henry Harpending). By the 2000s, it was reported that San had mostly lost its derogatory connotations in South Africa and was partly embraced as self-designation, while it continued to be perceived as an insult in parts of the central Kalahari in Namibia.[2]
Alternative forms
Synonyms

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Polish San.

Proper noun

San

  1. A river in southeastern Poland and western Ukraine.
Translations

References

  1. ^ Theophilus Hahn (1881) Tsuni-ǁGoam: The Supreme Being to the Khoi-Khoi, page 3:
    The old Dutch also did not know that their so-called Hottentots formed only one branch of a wide-spread race, of which the other branch divided into ever so many tribes, differing from each other totally in language [] While the so-called Hottentots called themselves Khoikhoi (men of men, i.e. men par excellence), they called those other tribes , the Sonqua of the Cape Records [] We should apply the term Hottentot to the whole race, and call the two families, each by the native name, that is the one, the Khoikhoi, the so-calle Hottentot proper; the other the Sān () or Bushmen.
  2. ^ Richard B. Lee (2012) The Dobe Ju/'Hoansi, 4th edition, Cengage Learning, page 9

Anagrams

Asturian

Noun

San m

  1. Saint (title given to a saint)

Basque

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish San.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /s̺an/
  • Rhymes: -an
  • Hyphenation: San

Adjective

San (indeclinable)

  1. Saint (male title)
    Synonyms: Santi, Done

Usage notes

  • This is the most commonly used title for male saints. The titles Santi and Done are used with the names of some saints, but they are less common.

Derived terms

Further reading

  • San”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy], Euskaltzaindia
  • San”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005

Catalan

Noun

San m

  1. Saint (title given to a saint)

Irish

Etymology

From French saint, from Latin sanctus (holy).

Pronunciation

Noun

San (indeclinable)

  1. (Christianity) Saint (title)
    Synonym: Naomh
    San DoiminicSt. Dominic
    San CaitríonaSt. Catherine
    San NioclásSt. Nicholas, Santa Claus

Further reading

Italian

Noun

San m or f

  1. a form of Santo or Santa

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈsan/
  • Audio 1:(file)
  • Audio 2:(file)
  • Rhymes: -an
  • Syllabification: San
  • Homophone: san

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Proper noun

San m inan

  1. San (a right tributary of the Vistula in Poland and Ukraine)
Declension

Proper noun

San m animal

  1. San (Polish bus manufacturer)
Declension

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Proper noun

San m inan

  1. Tonlé San (a right tributary of the Mekong in Cambodia and Vietnam)
Declension

Etymology 3

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Proper noun

San m inan

  1. San (a town in Mali)
Declension

Further reading

  • San in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • San in Polish dictionaries at PWN
  • San in PWN's encyclopedia

Spanish

Etymology

Apocopic form of santo.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈsan/
  • Rhymes: -an
  • Syllabification: San

Adjective

San

  1. Saint (title)

Derived terms

in Belizean toponyms
in Colombian toponyms
in Costa Rican toponyms
in Cuban toponyms
in toponyms of the Dominican Republic
in toponyms of El Salvador
in Guatemalan toponyms
in Honduran toponyms
in Mexican toponyms
in Nicaraguan toponyms
in Panamanian toponyms

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish San, an apocopic form of Santo.

Pronunciation

Noun

San (feminine Santa, Baybayin spelling ᜐᜈ᜔)

  1. title used with the name of the male saints aside from Tomas, Tome, Domingo, and Toribio: Saint; St.
    Coordinate term: Santo

Derived terms

in Philippine toponyms

Turkish

Proper noun

San

  1. a male given name

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

Proper noun

San

  1. a female given name from Chinese