trans

¹ American  

[trans, tranz] / træns, trænz /

adjective

1. transgender.

   Their son is trans.

   Laura is a trans woman.

2. (no longer in common use) transsexual.

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noun

plural

transes,

plural

trans

1. Usually Offensive. a person who is transgender.

trans* ² American  

[trans, tranz, trans stahr, trans as-ter-isk, tranz as‐] / træns, trænz, ˈtræns ˈstɑr, ˈtræns ˈæs tər ɪsk, ˈtrænz ˈæs‐ /

adjective

1. of or relating to people with gender expressions outside traditional norms, as transgender, genderqueer, agender, or nonbinary: campus groups that welcome trans* students.

   important trans* issues;

   campus groups that welcome trans* students.

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noun

1. Usually Offensive. a person with a gender identity outside traditional gender norms.

trans- ³ American  

1. a prefix occurring in loanwords from Latin (transcend; transfix ); on this model, used with the meanings “across,” “beyond,” “through,” “changing thoroughly,” “transverse,” in combination with elements of any origin: transisthmian; trans-Siberian; transempirical; transvalue.

2. Chemistry. a prefix denoting a geometric isomer having a pair of identical atoms or groups on the opposite sides of two atoms linked by a double bond.

3. Astronomy. a prefix denoting something farther from the sun (than a given planet): trans-Martian; trans-Neptunian.

4. a prefix meaning “on the other side of,” referring to the misalignment of one’s gender identity with one's sex assigned at birth: transgender.

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trans. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. transaction.

2. transfer.

3. transferred.

4. transformer.

5. transit.

6. transitive.

7. translated.

8. translation.

9. translator.

10. transparent.

11. transportation.

12. transpose.

13. transverse.

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trans. ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. transaction

2. transferred

3. transitive

4. translated

5. translator

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trans- ² British  

prefix

1. across, beyond, crossing, on the other side

   transoceanic

   trans-Siberian

   transatlantic

2. changing thoroughly

   transliterate

3. transcending

   transubstantiation

4. transversely

   transect

5. (often in italics) indicating that a chemical compound has a molecular structure in which two groups or atoms are on opposite sides of a double bond Compare cis-

   trans-butadiene

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Sensitive Note

The terms transgender and trans are generally accepted as interchangeable. However, some people prefer the shortened adjective trans to avoid any reference to assigned sex or binary gender in this inclusive identity label. Many transgender people prefer writing trans compounds as two words, as in trans man, trans woman, and trans person. When so written as an open compound with a space, trans functions as an adjective modifying a noun such as man. Spelling these words as closed or hyphenated compounds, as in transmale and trans-people, loses the distinction between trans as a descriptive adjective and man, woman, or person as a human being. Similarly, cis male and cis female are the preferred spelling of these terms. See also transgender.

See trans, transgender.

Etymology

Origin of trans¹

First recorded in 1970–75; by shortening

Origin of trans*²

First recorded in 2000–05; by shortening of transgender ( def. )

Origin of trans-³

From Latin, combining form of trāns (adverb and preposition) “across, beyond, through”

Example Sentences

An expansion of Canada’s existing Trans Mountain pipeline took roughly six years to build, and by the time it was completed in 2024 the cost had ballooned to about $25 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal

The enlarged Trans Mountain pipeline is already showing an impact on crude-export and broader trade flows.

From The Wall Street Journal

Even that happens, it would take years, he wrote in a note, adding that “Canada already has well established pipelines to the refineries, just completed the Trans Mountain pipeline to the west coast of Canada and will likely add more pipeline capacity in order to export more oil to Asia.”

From Barron's

The Trans Mountain expansion, which began operating last year, is the most tangible step so far, giving Canadian oil a clearer path to overseas buyers in Asia.

From Barron's

Undoubtedly, a large number of women — and I prefer to say “women” over “female” to account for the show’s trans audience, which is very active online — who watch “Heated Rivalry” fall into this category.

From Salon