without

Etymology

From Middle English withoute, withouten, from Old English wiþūtan (literally “against the outside of”); equivalent to with- + out. Compare Dutch buiten (“outside of, without”), Danish uden (“without”), Swedish utan (“without”), Norwegian uten (“without”).

adv

1. (archaic or literary) Outside, externally. This is still used in the names of some civil parishes in England, e.g. St Cuthbert Without.
   And as each and all of them were warmed without by the sun, so each had a private little sun for her soul to bask in; some dream, some affection, some hobby, at least some remote and distant hope which, though perhaps starving to nothing, still lived on, as hopes will. 1891, Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, volume 1, London: James R. Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., page 18
   Strange silence here: without, the sounding street Heralds the world's swift passage to the fire 1900, Ernest Dowson, Benedictio Domini, lines 13–14
   I knew that someone had entered the house cautiously from without. 1904, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez, Norton, published 2005, page 1100
   The feeling seemed to come not from without, but from within each body, as though every person had become a vibrating string. 2016, Liu Cixin, translated by Ken Liu, Death's End, Tor, translation of 死神永生, page 236
   Brainiac: This earthquake is quite literally worldwide. Alex Danvers: But the seismic activity [isn't] coming from within the planet, it's coming from without. 2019 December 8, Supergirl (TV series), season 5, episode 8, "Crisis on Infinite Earths"
2. Lacking something.
   Being from a large, poor family, he learned to live without.
   "Read lips: Without gas or without you? Without you. Without light or without you? Without you. Without water or without you? Without you. Without food or without you? Without you. "Cold, hunger, darkness and thirst are not as terrible and deadly for us as your "friendship and brotherhood." 09/11/22, Scott McDonald, quoting President Volodymyr Zelensky, “Cold, Hunger and Darkness in Ukraine 'Not as Terrible' as Russia: Zelensky”, in Newsweek, archived from the original on 2022-09-12
3. (euphemistic) In prostitution: without a condom being worn.
   “What's within reason?” “Hand-job, blow-job, full sex — straight, full service. Greek, maybe, if you're not too big. Golden shower, if you like, but not reverse. No hardsports. And absolutely nothing without.” 2012, Maxim Jakubowski, The Best British Crime Omnibus

prep

1. (archaic or literary) Outside of, beyond.
   Without the gate / Some drive the cars, and some the coursers rein.
   Eternity, before the world and after, is without our reach. c. 1689, Thomas Burnet, The Sacred Theory of the Earth
   […] though it was pitch-dark, and we were obliged to be escorted by grooms and groomlings with candles and lanterns; a very necessary precaution, as the winds blew not more violently without the house than within. 1835, William Beckford, Italy: With Sketches of Spain and Portugal, volume 1, page 13
2. Not having, containing, characteristic of, etc.
   It was a mistake to leave my house without a coat.
   1967, Paul McCartney (writer), The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Life goes on within you and without you.
   Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. 2013-06-29, “Travels and travails”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 55
3. Not doing or not having done something.
   He likes to eat everything without sharing.
   He shot without warning anyone.

conj

1. (archaic or dialectal) Unless, except (introducing a clause).