San

¹ American  

[sahn] / sɑn /

noun

plural

Sans,

plural

San

1. a member of a nomadic aboriginal people of southern Africa.

2. any of more than a dozen related Khoisan languages spoken by the San.

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San ² American  

[sahn] / sɑn /

noun

1. a river in central Europe, flowing from the Carpathian Mountains in W Ukraine through SE Poland into the Vistula: battles 1914–15. About 280 miles (450 km) long.

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-san ³ American  

1. a suffix used in Japanese as a term of respect after names or titles.

   Suzuki-san; samurai-san.

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San ¹ British  

/ sɑːn /

noun

1. an aboriginal people of southern Africa

2. a group of the Khoisan languages, spoken mostly by Bushmen

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San ² British  

/ sɑːn /

noun

1. a river in E central Europe, rising in W Ukraine and flowing northwest across SE Poland to the Vistula River. Length: about 450 km (280 miles)

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san ³ British  

/ sæn /

noun

1. old-fashioned short for sanatorium

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Etymology

Origin of -san

< Japanese, contraction of -sama suffix denoting direction, appearance, respect

Example Sentences

District Judge Roger Benitez, based in San Diego County, and against an appellate panel that stayed Benitez’s ruling pending the outcome of an appeal.

From Los Angeles Times

He studied music theory and composition at Webster University in St. Louis and joined an R&B band called the New Direction; after college he moved to San Francisco and immersed himself in jazz.

From Los Angeles Times

Profar made his MLB debut with the Texas Rangers in 2012 and made the All-Star game for the only time in his career with the San Diego Padres in 2024.

From Los Angeles Times

But try living in San Francisco, Miami or New York City on $39,000 a year from your portfolio plus Social Security — you’ll burn through savings fast.

From MarketWatch

She started her career at Business Insider covering tech, M&A and venture capital from San Francisco.

From The Wall Street Journal