sans

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.

prep

1. without; lacking
   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. 1982, Lawrence Durrell, Constance (Avignon Qutet), Faber & Faber, published 2004, page 766
   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. 1991, A. R. Morlan, The Amulet, page 212
   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. September 4, 2007, Natalie Angier, “A Supple Casing, Prone to Damage”, in New York Times

adj

1. (typography) Short for sans serif.

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

noun

1. plural of san