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English
Etymology 1
From Middle English saunz, sans, borrowed from Old French sans, senz, sens, from Latin sine (“without”) conflated with absēns (“absent, remote”). Compare French sans, Italian senza, Portuguese sem, and Spanish sin.
Pronunciation
Preposition
sans
- (literary, now chiefly humorous) without, lacking
c. 1595–1596 (date written), W. Shakespere [i.e., William Shakespeare], A Pleasant Conceited Comedie Called, Loues Labors Lost. (First Quarto), London: W W for Cutbert Burby, published 1598, →OCLC; republished as Shakspere’s Loves Labours Lost (Shakspere-Quarto Facsimiles; no. 5), London: W Griggs, , , →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii], signature H3, recto, lines 414–416:Bero[wne]. […] And to begin Wench, ſo God helpe me law,
My loue to thee is ſound, ſance cracke or flaw.
Roſa[line]. Sans, ſans, I pray you.
1982, Lawrence Durrell, Constance (Avignon Qutet), Faber & Faber, published 2004, page 766:Those with brooms started to sweep literally, at the feet of the crowd, driving it back into the side streets from which it had emerged to form this assembly – now riders sans steeds.
1991, A. R. Morlan, The Amulet, page 212:But regardless of when Wally had parked himself out in that backyard—sans coat or jacket—somehow, the old lady must have known where Wally would be before he drove out to the Isaacs trailer—or else she followed him out there from his house.
2007 September 4, Natalie Angier, “A Supple Casing, Prone to Damage”, in New York Times:Skin needs ultraviolet radiation to begin the synthesis of vitamin D, but dermatologists say you can probably get the necessary electromagnetic input from a mere 20 minutes of sun exposure a week, as you go about your daily affairs, sunblocked and sans beach.
Synonyms
Translations
Adjective
sans (not comparable)
- (typography) Short for sans serif.
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Noun
sans
- plural of san
Anagrams
Catalan
Pronunciation
Adjective
sans
- masculine plural of sa
Noun
sans
- plural of san
Cornish
Etymology
From Proto-Brythonic *sant. Cognate with Welsh sant.
Noun
sans m (plural sens)
- saint
Adjective
sans
- holy
Franco-Provençal
Adjective
sans
- masculine plural of san
French
Etymology
Inherited from Old French sans, senz, sens, from Latin sine conflated with absentia in the sense "without". Cognates include Spanish sin, Portuguese sem, Italian senza, Catalan sens, sense.
Pronunciation
Preposition
sans
- without
Je ne veux pas partir sans toi.- I cannot leave without you.
Elle est partie sans parler à personne.- She left without talking to anyone.
Derived terms
Further reading
Middle English
Preposition
sans
- Alternative form of saunz
Middle French
Etymology
From Old French senz.
Preposition
sans
- without
Descendants
Norman
Etymology
From Old French sans, senz, sens, from Latin sine conflated with absentia in the sense "without".
Preposition
sans
- (Jersey) without
1903, Edgar MacCulloch, “Proverbs, Weather Sayings, etc.”, in Guernsey Folk Lore, page 520:I' n'y a pas de rue sàns but.- There is no road without an ending.
Antonyms
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
From Latin sensus, via French sens.
Noun
sans m (definite singular sansen, indefinite plural sanser, definite plural sansene)
- sense
Derived terms
References
- “sans” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From Latin sensus, via French sens.
Noun
sans m (definite singular sansen, indefinite plural sansar, definite plural sansane)
- sense
Derived terms
References
- “sans” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Swedish
Etymology
Borrowed from French sens, from Latin sēnsus, from sentīre.
Noun
sans c
- composure, sense
tappa sansen- lose one's composure
komma till sans- come to one's senses
Declension
Declension of sans
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Uncountable
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Indefinite
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Definite
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Nominative
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sans
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sansen
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Genitive
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sans
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sansens
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References