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sans serif

[sanz]
noun Printing.
  1. a style of monotonal type without serifs.
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Origin of sans serif

First recorded in 1820–30
Related formssans-ser·if [sanz-ser-if] /ˌsænzˈsɛr ɪf/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for sans-serif

Historical Examples

  • New Zealand stamps overprinted "Samoa" in sans-serif type 2mm.

    The Postage Stamp in War

    Fred. J. Melville

  • Text printed in blackletter (gothic) type is shown in the e-text as sans-serif.

  • Text in sans-serif type was originally printed in blackletter (Gothic, Old English).

  • The parts originally printed in Roman type are here shown in a sans-serif font to keep the visual distinction.

British Dictionary definitions for sans-serif

sans serif

sanserif

noun
  1. a style of printer's typeface in which the characters have no serifs
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for sans-serif

also sanserif, 1830, from French sans "without" (see sans) + English serif, from earlier ceref, perhaps from Dutch schreef "a line, a stroke," related to schrijven "to write," from Latin scribere (see script (n.)).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper