san meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

san

nounalso spelled San

CA, US, UK /ˈsæn/ · UK, SC, WA /ˈsan/

Etymology From Ancient Greek σάν (sán), from a Semitic language.

An Ancient Greek letter representing /s/ (uppercase Ϻ, lowercase ϻ), originally used in some dialects instead of sigma.

Derived terms: tsan
Related terms: sigma

San

noun

Etymology 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.

Ethnic, Offensive, Regional, Slur Any of the foraging non-Bantu ethnic groups of southwestern Africa.

Synonyms: Bushmen

san

noun

Etymology Shortening of sanatorium.

Dated, Informal A sanatorium.

"Haven't you heard?" said Belinda. "Joan's ill! She'd got a high temperature, and she's in bed in the San."1940, Enid Blyton, The Naughtiest Girl in the School:
‘I was in the san for ten months before the war. I know all the gen about being sick.’1958, Doris Lessing, A Ripple From the Storm, HarperPerennial, published 1995, page 122:

1 more example

River Glade Sanatorium, River Glade, June 25, 1931. The "San" at River Glade with the Petitcodiac River in the background.2005, Dan Soucoup, Richard Thorne McCully, McCully's New Brunswick, page 137:

Related terms: eco-san, san ts'ai, san fairy ann

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — authors: page histories for san and San.