sans
/sænz/
preposition
Origin
Old French
sens — without, lacking
Overview
Meaning Now
- without.
Literal older meaning
without
Language path
Old French → Middle French → English
Earliest form
sans
Earliest period
13th century
Journey
The word was introduced into English from French during the Middle English period. It is frequently encountered in the phrase 'sans souci' (without care) and in the nomenclature of typography, specifically 'sans-serif', referring to typefaces that lack the small projecting features at the ends of strokes.
Evolution
- 1st century, Latin
absentia
“absence”
Root of the Latin preposition 'abs' (away from).
- Vulgar Latin
*sene
“without”
Representing a shift from Latin 'sine'.
- Old French
sans
“without”
- Middle English
sans
“without”
Adopted into Middle English as a loanword.
Connections
Word parts
sans
root
without
Related across languages
French
without
Occitan
sens
without
Explore next
Related to sans
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.